Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of access to innovative medicines by (1) region, and (2) socioeconomic status; and what steps they are taking to (a) ensure equity, and (b) assess the impact of inequitable access to innovative medicines on the economy.

Existing reporting tools, such as NHS Digital’s Innovation Scorecard, monitor the use of innovative medicines and medicinal products. To further analyse the extent of regional variation in the uptake of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved medicines, the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is working with NHS England and jointly engaging with stakeholders across the health system to understand the drivers of variation and the barriers to equitable uptake.

No specific assessment has been made of variation in access to innovative medicines by socioeconomic status, nor of the impact of inequitable access to innovative medicines on the economy.

The Strategic Metrics Group, with representatives across Government, the National Health Service, NICE and industry are working to deliver on commitments set out in the Life Sciences Vision. This will improve the NHS use of proven and cost-effective innovations, including new medicines, through strengthened innovation metrics and a focus on identifying and addressing unwarranted variation in uptake.