Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans =he-she has to reform the process for (a) appraisal and (b) funding of life-extending medicines for cancer patients.

Following a public consultation, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence introduced new arrangements for the appraisal and funding of cancer drugs in July 2016. The new arrangements, including the Cancer Drugs Fund, are designed to ensure that patients benefit from faster access to the most promising new drugs whilst delivering better value for money for the taxpayer.

On 3 November, the Government published its response to the Accelerated Access Review. It set out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments and make the United Kingdom the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate. From April 2018, the new Accelerated Access Pathway will mean selected products with the greatest potential to change lives could be available up to four years earlier by reducing the time taken to negotiate the evaluation and financial approvals necessary before the National Health Service can purchase them.