Ultrasonics
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of histotripsy treatment on the NHS.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
Histotripsy is a non-invasive ultrasound treatment that destroys tumours without the need for surgery or radiation. It was one of eight transformative technologies supported through the Government’s Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot. This programme aimed to streamline patient access to medical devices that address an unmet clinical need in the National Health Service.
Through the IDAP, an Unmet Clinical Need Authorisation was granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, exempting the manufacturer from certain regulatory requirements under specific conditions given the critical unmet need of liver cancer, allowing early market access. Histotripsy is now available for conditional use in the NHS for patients with liver tumours. NHS treatments will begin in October 2025 as a first in Europe, strengthening the United Kingdom’s position as a global leader in medical innovation.
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