§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has given to the social costs of the refusal to supply beta interferon to multiple sclerosis sufferers. [136400]
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§ Mr. DenhamThe National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) carries out appraisals in accordance with its framework document. This document states that
its task is to assess the evidence of all the clinical and other health-related benefits of an intervention—taking this in a wide sense, to include impact on quality of life, relief of pain or disability etc as well as any impact on likely length of life—to estimate the associated costs, and to reach a judgment on whether on balance this intervention can be recommended as a cost-effective use of NHS and PSS resources".Copies of NICE's Framework document are available in the Library.