Dated: 22 December 2009
Dear Mrs Allison,
Thank you for contacting me about the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. (NICE)
I believe it is right that decisions about the availability of drugs and treatments should be taken by an objective organisation such as NICE who can review how the NHS can best use its resources and finances. But the present system needs improvement to help doctors and patients better and speedier access NHS drugs. One concerns the way in which NICE assesses drugs, the second concerns the cost of drugs – something which NICE has no power to determine.
In November 2008, Shadow Minister for Health, Mark Simmonds, announced Conservative proposals for NICE. We believe more drugs should be availible faster on the NHS. For a long time we have called on NICE to conduct its assessment at the same time as the drug is licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This would speed up the decision making process – without interfering in its independent nature - as currently NICE appraises drugs only once they’ve been approved by the MHRA. We have also set out our proposals which would enable NICE to take into account wider social costs where appropriate, and develop commissioning guidelines for those with long-term conditions.
The next Conservative Government will introduce a ‘value-based pricing’ scheme for drugs where appropriate. As recommended by the Office of Fair Trading, ‘value-based pricing’ means that the cost of a drug would reflect its therapeutic benefit. A pricing structure of this kind would mean that if drugs are clinically effective, they would be available for clinicians to prescribe. It would therefore improve access to drugs, whilst delivering better value for money.
Thank you for taking the time to write to me on these very serious issues.
With best wishes,
Maria Miller MP