NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[DocLee]

"It's political"

That is a load of nonsense.

The MHRA is not politically based but is independent. It has nothing to do with pricing and, as shown with some recently approved treatments, will licence drugs without regard to the price that they might ultimately cost.

Similarly, NICE is also not politically based. It makes its decisions according to an accepted algorithm which calculates the cost-benefit of the treatment in the setting of the National Health Service (NHS). It utilises 2 parameters: QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years) and the proposed unit cost per patient of the treatment to the NHS. It will either accept the cost that the manufacturer wishes to charge or reject it because the cost-benefit is too high. This means only that the NHS will not meet the costs of that treatment (although it can be given within the structure of the NHS if the cost of the treatment is met by other sources). It goes without saying that when a medication is rejected by NICE as being "too expensive for its benefits", a great deal of horse-trading often ensues until a mutually acceptable unit price is dropped to allow it to be supplied to the NHS.