Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of the triennial review into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and ongoing discussions relating to the institute's appraisal methods, they will consider creating modifiers or a special priority designation for qualified antibiotics.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Triennial Review was announced on 30 October 2014 to review the form and functions of NICE. NICE’s methods for the development of its technology appraisal guidance are outside the scope of the review.

As an independent body, NICE is responsible for the methods it uses to develop its technology appraisal guidance and we have no plans at present to ask NICE to create modifiers or a special priority designation for qualified antibiotics. We continue to keep NICE’s work programme under review.

We are commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.

The development of new antimicrobial drugs is also the subject of the review on antimicrobial resistance announced on 2 July by the Prime Minister. The review will explore what actions may be taken by governments around the world to stimulate investment in new antimicrobial drugs. The review will present its initial findings during 2015 with a final report and recommendations to follow during 2016.