Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the early diagnosis of cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The earlier we diagnose cancer, the better the outcomes for patients.
That’s why we’re speeding up diagnosis of the most common cancers e.g., skin cancer with tele-dermatology, bowel cancer through Faecal Immunochemical Testing, and prostate cancer through multiparametric MRI; increasing targeted screening for breast cancer and lung cancer; investing in 160 new community diagnostic centres; and tackling variation in cancer waiting times around the country.
Thanks to the hard work of so many people in cancer services around the country, the NHS hit the ‘faster diagnosis standard’ for the first time in February.
And – looking ahead - we’re investing in innovations like the Galleri blood test which may be able to detect cancer before people even have symptoms.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on patients with multiple myeloma of (1) updates to the NICE health technology evaluations manual, and (2) the forthcoming end of Cancer Drugs Fund access agreements for treatments.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022 and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end of life modifier. Analysis carried out by NICE in the development of the modifier indicates that the vast majority of cancer medicines, including for blood cancers, that would be eligible for the end of life modifier would also be eligible for a weighting under the severity modifier.
In 2022/23, 89% of NICE’s final recommendations on cancer drugs were positive, including all of the cancer medicines appraised using NICE’s updated methods and processes. No cancer medicines have completed their exit from the Cancer Drugs Fund using NICE’s updated methods and processes. However, NICE has released positive final draft guidance for the first, which treats a blood cancer.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of updates to the NICE health technology evaluations manual on access to treatments at the end of a Cancer Drugs Fund access agreement.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022 and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end of life modifier. Analysis carried out by NICE in the development of the modifier indicates that the vast majority of cancer medicines, including for blood cancers, that would be eligible for the end of life modifier would also be eligible for a weighting under the severity modifier.
In 2022/23, 89% of NICE’s final recommendations on cancer drugs were positive, including all of the cancer medicines appraised using NICE’s updated methods and processes. No cancer medicines have completed their exit from the Cancer Drugs Fund using NICE’s updated methods and processes. However, NICE has released positive final draft guidance for the first, which treats a blood cancer.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with patient groups on the updates to the NICE health technology evaluations manual, and in particular (1) treatments at the end of a Cancer Drugs Fund access agreement no longer being assessed against the criteria supporting their original recommendation, and (2) the replacement of the end of life criteria with a severity modifier.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has had no discussions and has made no current plans. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing the methods and processes it uses and engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development of its updated manual for health technology evaluations, including on the severity modifier. Patient groups were directly involved in the methods review in the working group, task and finish groups and in two public consultations. Additionally, NICE engaged separately with industry and patient groups on the impact of the changes to it methods and processes for medicines currently in the Cancer Drugs Fund.
NICE also works closely with patient groups and other stakeholders in the development of its guidance on individual technologies. In 2022/23, 89% of NICE’s final recommendations on cancer drugs were positive, including all of the cancer medicines appraised using NICE’s updated methods and processes. No cancer medicines have completed their exit from the CDF using NICE’s updated methods and processes. However, NICE has released positive final draft guidance for the first, which treats a blood cancer.
If NICE determines at the end of a managed access period that a technology is not a good use of National Health Service resources, then people already having treatment may continue until they and their NHS clinician consider it appropriate to stop.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with patient groups, including on blood cancer, to allow continued access to treatments at the end of a Cancer Drugs Fund access agreement that meet the original end of life criteria but not the new severity modifier criteria following updates to the NICE health technology evaluations manual.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has had no discussions and has made no current plans. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing the methods and processes it uses and engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development of its updated manual for health technology evaluations, including on the severity modifier. Patient groups were directly involved in the methods review in the working group, task and finish groups and in two public consultations. Additionally, NICE engaged separately with industry and patient groups on the impact of the changes to it methods and processes for medicines currently in the Cancer Drugs Fund.
NICE also works closely with patient groups and other stakeholders in the development of its guidance on individual technologies. In 2022/23, 89% of NICE’s final recommendations on cancer drugs were positive, including all of the cancer medicines appraised using NICE’s updated methods and processes. No cancer medicines have completed their exit from the CDF using NICE’s updated methods and processes. However, NICE has released positive final draft guidance for the first, which treats a blood cancer.
If NICE determines at the end of a managed access period that a technology is not a good use of National Health Service resources, then people already having treatment may continue until they and their NHS clinician consider it appropriate to stop.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to provide blood testing for veterans who have developed cancer and had sustained exposure to Sea King helicopter exhaust fumes.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
There is not a simple test or surveillance procedure of reliably mass screening for any exhaust associated rare cancers over an extended time period.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s ongoing VPAS pre-negotiation workshops, whether he plans to make the outputs of those discussions publicly available.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) upon the different organisations represented and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 VPAS. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions and resulting outputs would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies (including representatives of their member companies):
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- British Generic Manufacturers Association;
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group;
- BioIndustry Association.
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52;
- The Blood Cancer Alliance;
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition;
- National Voices;
- The Patients Association;
- Alzheimer’s Research UK;
- Anthony Nolan;
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust;
- Genetic Alliance UK;
- The Association of Medical Research Charities;
- Breast Cancer Now;
- Myeloma UK;
- Office of Health Economics;
- King’s Fund;
- NHS Confederation.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s ongoing VPAS pre-negotiation workshops, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) attendees of those workshops.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) upon the different organisations represented and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 VPAS. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions and resulting outputs would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies (including representatives of their member companies):
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- British Generic Manufacturers Association;
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group;
- BioIndustry Association.
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52;
- The Blood Cancer Alliance;
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition;
- National Voices;
- The Patients Association;
- Alzheimer’s Research UK;
- Anthony Nolan;
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust;
- Genetic Alliance UK;
- The Association of Medical Research Charities;
- Breast Cancer Now;
- Myeloma UK;
- Office of Health Economics;
- King’s Fund;
- NHS Confederation.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the minutes from and (b) a list of attendees at the workshops his Department has been running ahead of negotiations on a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme upon the different organisations represented, and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following external organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies:
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- British Generic Manufacturers Association
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group
- BioIndustry Association
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52
- The Blood Cancer Alliance
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition
- National Voices
- The Patients Association
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Anthony Nolan
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Genetic Alliance UK
- The Association of Medical Research Charities
- Breast Cancer Now
- Myeloma UK
- Office of Health Economics
- King’s Fund
- NHS Confederation
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish information about the outcomes from the workshops that his Department has been running ahead of negotiations on a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme upon the different organisations represented, and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following external organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies:
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- British Generic Manufacturers Association
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group
- BioIndustry Association
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52
- The Blood Cancer Alliance
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition
- National Voices
- The Patients Association
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Anthony Nolan
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Genetic Alliance UK
- The Association of Medical Research Charities
- Breast Cancer Now
- Myeloma UK
- Office of Health Economics
- King’s Fund
- NHS Confederation