Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Lars Bruening, Bayer UK and Ireland CEO, as a result of the recognition by NICE of the merits of using Eylea to treat myopic choroidal neovascularisation.

No Ministerial discussions have taken place. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of Eylea for the treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularisation. NICE has published draft guidance that recommends use of the drug subject to a patient access scheme that makes the drug available to the National Health Service at a discounted price. NICE expects to publish final guidance this November. This is the first drug to be appraised through NICE’s new fast track appraisal process for treatments that can clearly demonstrate cost-effectiveness. Should the guidance remain unchanged, the NHS is committed to funding the treatment 30 days after NICE’s final guidance is published.