Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the cost of spinal muscular atrophy treatment Spinraza is not a barrier in the appraisal process.

The Government wants National Health Service patients to be able to benefit from effective new medicines in a way that represents value for money to the taxpayer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of Spinraza for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy.

Discussions have been taking place between the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, and NHS England to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission for NICE’s independent Appraisal and a meeting has been arranged for 6 March to consider the recommendations.