Leela Barham

The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) – or the threshold for determining whether the costs of a new medicine are worth it – has been controversial since it’s inception.

Collaboration seems to be ‘in’ thing and it’s set to continue in Europe with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and EUnetHTA agreeing a three-year joint work plan.

The European Commission mandated that all member states have a plan for rare diseases back in June 2009. With the EC deadline just weeks away, the UK has now finalized its own.

Long awaited details have been announced in the Heads of Agreement for the latest Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS). It’s worth a read in full (and you can find it here) but some highlights are set out here.

A major Inquiry into access to new medicines across Scotland by the Scottish Health and Sport Committee has come to an end. The Scottish Government has responded, and announced changes to how Scotland makes decisions on what new medicines to use across the NHS in Scotland.

The UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) in England - which covers the cost of cancer treatments either when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said ‘no’, or hasn’t yet come to a view - will be extended to April 2016.

NHS England (NHSE) has just released the first data covering the first quarter of financial year 2013/14 on the Cancer Drug Fund. Leela Barham assesses the results.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will have a vital role in the post 2014 value-based pricing (VBP) world. The Department of Health (DH), which still acts as the sponsor organization for the agency, has set out in more detail just what value assessment by NICE will need to do. Now NICE has to determine the methods and set up the governance and workable processes to deliver it.

A common gripe from those in the pharma industry in England is that even when their products have been found to be cost effective by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (not always easy to do these days), uptake in the NHS can be ‘low and slow’

Value-based pricing (VBP) continues to confuse many in the UK and further afield. The Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee is the latest parliamentary committee to question civil servants about what it’s all about.

The UK’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society has joined forces with a number of other organizations, including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), to issue new guidance on medicines optimization. Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of NHS England, says it could be revolutionary.

You’d be forgiven for missing it with the vast array of new agencies and the policy documents, guidance, consultations and ‘engagement’ activity they’re doing on in the ‘new’ NHS in England, but on the 4th April NHS England (formerly the NHS Commissioning Board) set out 15 commissioning policies in 250 pages.

England’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) could be in its final financial year, after running in full since April 2011. The fund covers the cost of cancer treatments either when NICE has said ‘no’, or hasn’t yet come to a view.