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Department of Health

I recognise the hon. Gentleman’s concerns, but of course, although the problems associated with patient safety and access to drugs can in some respects be dealt with through improved regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, that is not the sole determinant. It is clear that the Government’s behaviour has had a significant impact, and stories in the media have a fundamental impact on the public’s awareness of drugs. Moreover, the Government have a major influence on the ability to get new drugs to patients quickly. We have heard much this afternoon about ““NICE blight”” and the delays in the licensing programme, but to what extent are those delays due to NICE? My hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) recently tabled written parliamentary questions on this issue, and the answers show that it takes the Government nine to 10 months to produce the list of drugs that is subsequently sent to NICE for licensing approval. That is another part of the delay in getting drugs to patients who may need them as quickly as possible. I should be grateful if the Minister explained the reasons for this delay and what measures his Department are implementing to speed up the process. There is also the apparently contradictory position whereby drugs need to be licensed by NICE before they become widely available, yet in some cases—such as the recent and well-known one involving Herceptin—statements have been made implying that there should be widespread uptake before the licensing process has been completed. What assessment has the Minister’s Department made of the immediate and long-term financial implications of making such drugs available? On Herceptin, we know that it is not a question simply of the cost of the drug; there are also costs associated with echocardiograms and ongoing monitoring. Herceptin will of course make a huge difference to some women with early-stage breast cancer, but how do the Government envisage that these costs should be met, given the existing pressures on many budgets? The cost of such drugs is only rising, so what is the long-term sustainability of their prescription? There is a real concern that post-2008, when the increase in NHS funding tails off, funding for many such drugs will experience a hard landing. Finally, in contrast to moves to increase the transparency of the data—