Skip to main content

MPs to examine impact of NICE changes on ‘last resort’ cancer drug treatments

2 May 2024

The committee will consider the impact of changes made by NICE to evaluate drugs used to treat patients with terminal illness like cancer in this session.

The Future Cancer inquiry received evidence from drugs’ companies that changes by NICE in 2022 on the cost-effectiveness of drugs for severe diseases do not sufficiently weight treatments used in advanced cancer. They say that as a result some cancer patients may miss out on last resort treatments.

MPs will also consider the breast cancer drug Enhertu which in draft guidance from NICE has not been recommended for treating secondary breast cancer in England.

The APPG on Breast Cancer will hold a roundtable event focusing on this issue later the same day.

Witnesses

Wednesday 8 May in Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

At 9.30am

  • David Brocklehurst, Head of Oncology at AstraZeneca UK
  • Haran Maheson, Vice President and Head of Oncology at Daiichi Sankyo UK

At 10.15am

  • Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now

At 10.45am

  • Helen Knight, Director of Medicines Evaluation, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
  • Dr Sam Roberts, Chief Executive, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Future cancer

  • The Future cancer inquiry has completed taking evidence and will publish its report in due course. The inquiry builds on the Committee’s earlier work and report on Cancer services (April 2022) which found the government was not on track to meet the 75% early diagnosis target by 2028, set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
  • An evaluation by the Committee’s independent Expert Panel on Government commitments relating to cancer rated overall progress as “inadequate”.

Further information

Image: Unsplash