Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the interpretation by NHS England of NICE guidance on the level of provision of Ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance recommending ibrutinib for use in the treatment of previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with 17p deletion or TP53 mutation in January 2017. NHS England is legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance in line with NICE’s recommendations.

NICE has not been able to make a recommendation on the use of ibrutinib for use in the treatment of other patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia because no evidence submission was received from the product’s manufacturer. Ibrutinib is not therefore routinely commissioned for National Health Service patients for these other indications. NICE will review this decision if the company decides to make an evidence submission.