Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on patients with multiple myeloma of (1) updates to the NICE health technology evaluations manual, and (2) the forthcoming end of Cancer Drugs Fund access agreements for treatments.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022 and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end of life modifier. Analysis carried out by NICE in the development of the modifier indicates that the vast majority of cancer medicines, including for blood cancers, that would be eligible for the end of life modifier would also be eligible for a weighting under the severity modifier.

In 2022/23, 89% of NICE’s final recommendations on cancer drugs were positive, including all of the cancer medicines appraised using NICE’s updated methods and processes. No cancer medicines have completed their exit from the Cancer Drugs Fund using NICE’s updated methods and processes. However, NICE has released positive final draft guidance for the first, which treats a blood cancer.