To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on the Access to New Drugs policy announced by his Department in September 2018; (ii) whether patients in Northern Ireland are able to access Avastin via the NHS; (iii) to detail all the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved cancer drugs unavailable via the NHS in Northern Ireland, but accessible via the NHS in other regions of the UK; and (iv) why some cancer drugs are unavailable via the NHS in Northern Ireland, but accessible via the NHS in other UK regions.

On 12 September 2018 the Department announced that drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use through the Cancer Drug Fund in England will now be considered in line with existing arrangements for NI endorsement of NICE recommendations and be equally accessible here. The individual funding request process (IFR policy) which allows for access to unapproved drugs has also been has been modernised and is in the final stages of implementation, though this has been delayed due to Covid-19.

NICE is considering bevacizumab (Avastin) for many different cancer indications. Each appraisal is independent and will look at the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the drug compared to those already available on the NHS in that area. Where NICE has recommended bevacizumab (Avastin) for use, it is available for suitable patients in Northern Ireland.

All those cancer medicines recommended by NICE are available for clinically suitable patients in Northern Ireland.

Each UK jurisdiction has separate arrangements to determine access to cancer therapies that have not been fully endorsed by NICE. Decisions to prescribe medicines are the responsibility of clinicians, working in partnership with patients and their families, taking into account the evidence, the potential risks and benefits of treatment and individual circumstances. It is not possible for me to assess why medicines may or may not be prescribed in any other jurisdiction.