NICE and MHRA Joint Process from April 2026

From April 2026, NICE has begun working with the MHRA on a new joint process intended to reduce the time between marketing authorisation and technology appraisal publication. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan committed to patients receiving medicines 3–6 months faster as a result. NICE’s technology appraisal process is also being expanded to cover some devices, […]

Access Reform Debate

An Irish Times opinion piece in early April 2026, written in response to the NCPE’s rejection of omaveloxolone (Skyclarys®) for Friedreich’s ataxia in Ireland, articulated the tension in the reimbursement system: that cost-effectiveness judgements exist to protect population health, not simply to contain spending. The NCPE concluded there was a zero per cent chance of […]