Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve patient access to preventative drugs for breast cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently updating its guideline on the diagnosis and management of early and locally advanced breast cancer. The use of adjuvant bisphosphonates has been identified as one of the key areas that will be covered in the update which is scheduled for publication in July 2018. In the meantime, NICE has published an evidence summary on the use of adjuvant bisphosphonates in early breast cancer. NHS England expects clinical commissioning groups to take account of NICE guidelines and local population needs when making commissioning decisions.