Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the introduction of new medicines to help prevent the spread of ovarian cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a number of technology appraisal guidance documents on the treatment of ovarian cancer. NICE technology appraisal guidance makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of resources. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended through the technology appraisal programme within three months.

NICE has positively appraised guidance on use of “Paclitaxel in the treatment of ovarian cancer” (TA:55), published in May 2005; “Olaparib for maintenance treatment of relapsed, platinum-sensitive, BRCA mutation-positive ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer after response to second-line or subsequent platinum-based chemotherapy” (TA:381), published in January 2016; and, “Topotecan, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride, paclitaxel, trabectedin and gemcitabine for treating recurrent ovarian cancer” (TA:389), published in April 2016.