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PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(3 January 2025)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the number of cancer medicines used in the NHS compared to other European countries.

Asked by:
Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat)

Answer

Whilst the Department has made no such assessment, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends most new licensed cancer medicines for use in the treatment of National Health Service patients in England, with a current positive approval rate of 92% for cancer topics, excluding terminated appraisals, for 2024/25. This equates to 24 out of 26 appraisals.

Analysis from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations’ W.A.I.T Indicators compares availability of new medicines across European countries. The 2024 report showed that the availability in England of cancer medicines that received an European Union marketing authorisation between 2019 and 2022 was slightly higher than the European average.


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