Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she (a) has had discussions and (b) plans to have discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on (i) its use of the new severity modifier and (ii) how it (A) measures and (B) reports the impact of the modifier on approval of treatments for (1) cancers, (2) relapsing and remitting conditions and (3) conditions that are more prevalent in older people.

The Department regularly meets with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues, including in relation to the NICE’s methods for the evaluation of medicines. In 2022, the NICE introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier, in place of the end-of-life modifier. Since the changes were introduced, 79% of the NICE’s appraisals of cancer medicines carried out under the updated methods have recommended the use of the treatment for some or all of the eligible patient population, either for routine use or use through the Cancer Drugs Fund. The approval rate for all cancer appraisals carried out since 2009, when the end-of-life modifier was introduced, is 78%.