Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on Innovative Medicines funding for givinostat.

Department officials have regular discussions with NHS England on a number of topics, including funding for innovative medicines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. 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 givinostat for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and, following a call for evidence, its Appraisal Committee will meet to consider its recommendations on 23 October 2025. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2026.

If recommended by NICE in draft guidance, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that NHS England should aim to work with the pharmaceutical company, Italfarmaco, to provide early interim funding for givinostat through the Innovative Medicines Fund, which has made available £340 million of ringfenced funding for the NHS to fund early access to medicines. This could potentially speed up access to givinostat by up to five months.

To avoid the possibility of creating a way to circumvent the appraisal process, NHS England is unable to fund givinostat prior to the publication of draft NICE guidance that recommends the treatment.