I would like to take this opportunity to assure people that off-label drugs can already be prescribed where there is robust evidence to support their use.
In February, officials held an event for interested parties called ‘Translating evidence into practice’ which was prompted by a previous Bill on this topic. Attendees discussed what action, short of legislation, could be taken to ensure that robust evidence about new uses for existing drugs is produced, disseminated and then used to inform clinical decision making about these medicines.
The Government has also recently established the Accelerated Access Review which aims to develop ways to speed up access to innovative drugs, devices and diagnostics for NHS patients in a cost-effective way. You can add your comments on the various lines of enquiry at this website: https://engage.dh.gov.uk/acceleratedaccess.
By Patrick McLoughlin on October 27, 2015