Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Givinostat

Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises a crucial point: there is no point having all the work going into innovation if we cannot implement it. It is at the centre of the 10-year plan. A process is being worked up to look at how we can bring the best of our innovation and technological advancement into clinical practice. I am grateful for his input into this area, and I know that this will be taken very seriously as we move forward.

[Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as chair of Genomics England and Oxford University Innovation. This product is a classic example of one that should be eligible for the innovative medicines fund. However, concerns have been raised about the clarity of entry criteria, transparency and scale of ambition. What steps are being taken to tackle those challenges in order to address the concerns raised by the noble Lord, Lord Kakkar?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am not sure that I can add a great deal more, other than to refer the noble Baroness to the 10-year plan, where innovation is absolutely at the core and the centre. We are where we are, and her point is about how we move from here to where we need to be. We need to make sure that there is a real focus on moving all that expertise into actual practice to bring benefit to as many patients as possible.