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Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness

Asked by Dr Caroline JohnsonConservativeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 21 October 2025UIN 78411

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the NICE cost effectiveness threshold.

Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed

The Life Sciences Sector Plan states that future changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE’s) methods and processes can be considered where they are evidence based, financially sustainable, and represent value to the taxpayer.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our National Health Service, our economy, and the Plan for Change.

Through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines compared to the previous decade so that NHS patients can be assured of better access to the best and novel treatments. We are working with industry to consider the most appropriate route to achieving this aim and will consider all necessary levers to achieve this, including the NICE cost effectiveness threshold.

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