Mixed responses to UK Parliamentary c'ttee's report on the NICE; review delays slammed

The publication of a report by the UK's House of Commons Health Select Committee into the performance of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which recommends treatments for the National Health Service in England and Wales, has prompted mixed responses. The report avoids the issue of pharmaceutical pricing, arguing that this is an ongoing topic of negotiation between the drug industry and the UK government. The existing pricing mechanism for publicly-provided drugs, the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, is under separate review by the government, following a critical study by the Office of Fair Trading (Marketletters passim).

The Biotechnology Industry Association offered the report a "cautious welcome," the Association of the British Industry Association warned that "patients will not benefit from Select Committee recommendation on [the] NICE," and the Multiple Sclerosis Society approved the shift towards more transparency and faster review times. The NICE described the report as "positive and helpful."

NICE rationing role admitted