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Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Asked by Steve DarlingLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 11 November 2024UIN 12498

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NICE on reducing the time taken for patients to access treatment for very rare diseases in cases when there is uncertainty on the (a) incidence and (b) prevalence of the disease.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The Department has regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including in relation to timelines for appraisals. The NICE aims to issue draft guidance on new medicines, including for rare diseases, as close to the time of licensing as possible.

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