NICE RECOMMENDATION ON TAXOL

Early day motion 698, tabled 9 May 2000 by Joan Ruddock (Labour). Signed by 156 members.

That this House welcomes the recommendation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence that the anti-cancer drug Taxol should be available routinely as a first-line treatment for women with ovarian cancer regardless of where they live; notes that as many as one-third of health authorities do not currently fund Taxol for all women who could benefit from it; recognises the financial constraints faced by health authorities; and calls on the Government to ringfence sufficient funding to pay for treatments recommended by NICE, so that patients are no longer denied access to effective drugs on the basis of cost.

Signatures by party: Labour 96, Liberal Democrat 24, Conservative 12, Labour/Co-operative 10, UUP 5, Plaid Cymru 3, Scottish National Party 3, Independent Labour 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1, UKUP 1.