NICE has put plans to revamp its drug evaluation methodology on hold, the clinical watchdog has announced.
NICE chiefs said more work was needed before the institute could implement any new ‘value-based’ assessments, which will take into account the relative societal benefits of a drug, following a consultation on the potential changes.
The DH outlined plans in 2012 to take NICE’s ‘rationing’ role away altogether, but has since backtracked and last year confirmed the institute would continue to have full responsibility for decisions on new drugs – but with a new remit to take into account the relative societal benefits of a drug, for example whether it can impact on carer or employment costs, or treat a particularly severe condition.
However, the NICE board of directors said it found no agreement among stakeholder responses to a three-month consultation on the proposed new framework, and has decided a wider review is needed.
NICE chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon said: ‘We’ve been looking in detail at how to change the way we appraise medicines and other technologies on behalf of the NHS. Following an exhaustive consultation, it’s clear that just changing NICE’s methods will not overcome concerns about how the NHS accesses new treatments.
‘We also need to look at the other processes, including the model of pharmaceutical research and development, the expectations that companies and patient groups have about how risk and reward is shared between the industry and a publicly funded NHS, and in the arrangements for commissioning expensive new treatments.’
