Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the reasons for NICE's refusal to make Avelumb available on the NHS in England.
We have made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body responsible for developing recommendations in line with its published methods and processes.
NICE has published guidance recommending avelumab for use in a number of cancers and it is now available to patients.
NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of avelumab for use in the treatment of urothelial cancer.