Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to assess the (a) clinical benefit and (b) value for money of Endaravone in extending the lifespan of people with motor neurone disease.

We have assumed the Hon. Member is referring to edaravone (Radicava). Edaravone is not currently licensed or under assessment within the European Union for any indication and the Department therefore has no such plans. If the manufacturer seeks a marketing authorisation for edaravone in the United Kingdom or EU, it will be assessed for safety, efficacy and quality through the established licensing process and then considered through the topic selection process for possible assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Where a drug or treatment has not been appraised by NICE, funding decisions should be made by the relevant National Health Service commissioner, based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.