Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the use of Kaftrio in the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops recommendations on whether medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources at the price proposed by the company. Companies can agree discounts on the price of medicines in the context of the NICE evaluation process.

NICE is currently developing guidance for the NHS on the clinical and cost effectiveness of Kaftrio and other cystic fibrosis medicines, and recently consulted on its draft recommendations. Kaftrio is currently available as a treatment option for eligible NHS patients under the terms of an interim access agreement, which was originally reached in 2019.