Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of potential new treatments for glioblastoma.

The Department of Health and Social Care enables research via its research arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and is committed to furthering our investment and driving scientific advancements in research into the causes and treatment of brain tumours. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the NIHR directly invested £11.8 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours. During the same period, the NIHR’s wider investments include around £37.5 million in research infrastructure and the research workforce. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, invested £46.8 million in brain tumour research.

Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.

NICE has issued guidance for the NHS on several treatments for glioma and glioblastoma and has a number of other topics in active development.