Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Office for Life Sciences Competitiveness Indicators, published in May 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the fall in the uptake of NICE-approved medicines.

The Competitiveness Indicators published by the Office for Life Sciences show that the relative uptake rates of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-approved medicines have remained broadly stable over the last five years, with an increase in the overall level of uptake in the first year after release being offset by a slight fall in the fourth and fifth years.

There are a number of reasons why the levels of uptake may vary including changes in the reported basket of medicines, and country level differences in disease burden and clinical practice.

In addition to the Competitiveness Indicators, NHS Digital publishes a report on the use of medicines by the National Health Service in England, known as the Innovation Scorecard. The latest publication from July 2018 shows that 71% of NICE-approved medicines had higher levels of uptake than in the previous 12 months.

The Innovation scorecard is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nice-technology-appraisals-in-the-nhs-in-england-innovation-scorecard/nice-technology-appraisals-in-the-nhs-in-england-innovation-scorecard-to-december-2017