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 access to new medicines for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

NICE is currently evaluating dupilumab for treating moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and itepekimab as an add-on maintenance treatment for moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.