NICE budget impact test cleared by High Court

The test, which was introduced this year, states that “if the budget impact exceeds £20million, in any of the first 3 years, NHS England may engage in commercial discussions with the company. These discussions are designed to mitigate the impact that funding the technology would have on the rest of the NHS.”

The ABPI took a legal challenge to the High Court and lost.  NHS England were like a dog with two tails, saying:

“In this ruling the High Court has rejected ABPI’s flawed legal manoeuvres which the judge said would ‘produce an absurd result’. Rather than attempting to further frustrate NICE and the NHS’ work to ensure patients and taxpayers get maximum value out of the £15 billion being spent on drugs, it now makes sense to work together towards that shared goal.”