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 implications for his policies of the Scottish Medicine Consortium’s decision to approve ozanimod for people with active relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS); and what plans he has for MS patients in other parts of the UK having the same access to new oral treatment options.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service in England on whether medicines represent a clinical and cost-effective use of resources.

NICE is currently developing guidance for the NHS in England on the use of ozanimod for treating relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. NICE recently consulted stakeholders on its initial draft recommendations on ozanimod and NICE will carefully consider the comments received in developing its final recommendations.