Written question asked by Crispin Blunt (Conservative) on Monday, 31 October 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 November 2016. It was answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 November 2016 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Prescription Drugs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NICE's and NHS England's proposals for changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of introducing a fast track NICE technology appraisal process for technologies with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of up to (a) £10,000 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) and (b) £30,000 per QALY.

Answer: The proposed fast-track technology appraisal process is expected to accelerate patient access to eligible treatments by around five months compared with the standard technology appraisal process. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that final guidance on products assessed through the proposed fast track process will be available 10-11 weeks sooner than for standard technology appraisal guidance. In addition, NHS England intends to fund treatments recommended through the fast track appraisal process within 30 days of final guidance, instead of the standard 90 days.

Secondary information