Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to (a) cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapies and (b) other cystic fibrosis treatments in rural parts of Wiltshire.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE.

In July 2024, NICE approved three disease modifying treatments, Orkambi, Symkevi, and Kaftrio, as treatment options for eligible NHS patients with cystic fibrosis, under the terms of a commercial agreement reached between NHS England and the manufacturer, Vertex. These treatments are now routinely funded by the NHS in England for eligible patients.

NICE is also currently developing guidance for the NHS on whether vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor can be recommended for routine funding for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. NICE is expecting to publish final guidance in August 2025.