Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the NHS has to introduce new drugs to tackle migraines in the next six months.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. Through its technology appraisal programme, NICE makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether selected drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended through NICE’s technology appraisal programme.

NICE is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on two drugs for the prevention of migraines; erenumab and fremanuzumab. The expected date of NICE’s final guidance is currently to be confirmed. In the absence of positive guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund this treatment based on an assessment of the available evidence.