14.10.16
NHS consults on new cost-effectiveness plans for treatments
It could be harder for some treatments to become available on the NHS if they are found to be too costly, under new proposals.
NHS England and NICE have opened a joint consultation on proposals to introduce a £20m budget threshold, which is thought to apply to around 20% of treatments.
Where a new treatment is expected to exceed the threshold, NHS England would seek a special commercial agreement with the company.
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: “We want to be more agile and flexible in the way we make decisions about new drugs, medical devices and diagnostics, so that patients can get access to them more quickly and the NHS can manage its resources fairly and efficiently. NICE and NHS England have worked together to develop these proposals.
“The pace and scale of innovation in the NHS require NICE and NHS England to collaborate closely to ensure patients are benefiting from faster access to the most cost effective treatments.
“By further streamlining our processes we will ensure treatments that clearly offer exceptional value for money will be available to the patients who need them faster than ever before.
“Where the introduction of a new treatment places a large, immediate demand on NHS budgets, the impact of their introduction on other services has to be taken into account in managing their adoption.”
If an agreement could not be reached, the technology could be introduced over a longer period. In addition, a special ‘fast track’ introduction process will be introduced for technologies which cost less than £10,000 for every quality adjusted life year (QALY).
Dr Jonathan Fielden, NHS England’s director of specialised commissioning and deputy national medical director, said: “This new fast-track process for the most promising and cost-effective new technologies will significantly speed up access, making this good news for patients, good for taxpayers and good for those pharmaceutical companies who are willing to work with us and price their products responsibly.
A cost-effectiveness level will also be introduced for the highly specialised technology programme, which provides treatments for very rare illnesses.
Treatments which cost up to £100,000 per QALY will automatically qualify for funding, while proposals above that can enter NHS England’s annual prioritisation process for rare conditions.
NICE has also been criticised recently for considering introducing charges for drug testing.
NICE took control of the Cancer Drugs Fund after its finances were heavily criticised, and has since issued draft guidance recommending cutting a treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The consultation is open until 13 January 2017. To take part, click here.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an NHE columnist? If so, click here.