To ask the Minister of Health to detail when Givinostat will be made available to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

My Department has a formal link with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) under which NICE Technology Appraisals are reviewed locally for their legal and policy applicability in Northern Ireland. Where found to be applicable, they are endorsed for implementation within HSC organisations. This link has ensured that Northern Ireland has access to up-to-date, independent, professional, evidence-based guidance on the value of health care interventions. In practice this means that treatments that have been recommended by NICE for routine use in the NHS in England are also routinely available in Northern Ireland.

NICE are currently in the early stages of evaluating givinostat (Duvyzat®) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people 6 years and over, with final guidance expected to publish in July 2025.

When the final guidance for this treatment is issued by NICE, my Department will consider it under the usual process for NICE Technology Appraisals as per the guidance set out in circular HSC (SQSD) 12/22 which is available at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/doh-hsc-sqsd-12-22.pdf

In circumstances where NICE is yet to complete a full appraisal, or does not recommend a particular drug, the Department’s Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) does not routinely commission that therapy for use in Northern Ireland.