Written question asked by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour) on Monday, 24 April 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 27 April 2023 (named day). It was answered by Helen Whately (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 April 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Cancer: Drugs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of the end-of-life modifier in technology appraisals by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the launch of new cancer medicines in the UK.

Answer: 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 that would be eligible for the end-of-life modifier would also be eligible for a weighting under the severity modifier.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 182400
Session: 2022-23
Subjects: Cancer Licensing Drugs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Standards Technology
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk