The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) board has considered proposals on value-based assessment (VBA) following a three-month consultation.

Paul Catchpole, value and access director at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said, “The outcome of the board discussions show that NICE has listened and responded to concerns raised by the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders.”

He said, “In our response to the consultation, we called for an appraisal process that was fit-for-purpose and responsive to the new medicines that are being developed by the pharmaceutical industry, and NICE has recognized this by acknowledging that the kind of technologies it will be asked to appraise and the model of pharmaceutical R&D are changing.”

“NICE recommended that further consideration of burden of illness and wider societal benefits is taken forward in the context of the broader consideration of the way in which new treatments are developed, evaluated and supported for adoption in the NHS,” said Catchpole. “The ABPI agrees with this position. We also clearly highlighted in our consultation response that the exclusion of the end of life criteria was unacceptable to the pharmaceutical industry, and the agreed retention of this important criteria is undoubtedly the right decision for the moment to support for patients accessing medicines at the end of their life.”

“A more ambitious reform of NICE methods and processes is needed in order to achieve greater access to new innovative medicines for NHS patients,” he said. “We are pleased to note there will be no immediate changes to the NICE methods guide as a result of the VBA consultation, and we hope that this will result in a broader and more radical review before progressing further.”

He continued, “Additionally, the ABPI is pressing for more immediate reform of NICE appraisal processes, working with NHS England and industry in order to address the growing issues and challenges around the Cancer Drugs Fund in which both organizations have a critical role to play in creating a permanent and sustainable solution.”