The Department of Health and Social Care has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce guidance on using setmelanotide in the context of national commissioning by NHS England. The highly specialised technologies evaluation committee has considered the evidence submitted by the company and the views of non-company consultees and commentators, clinical experts, patient experts and NHS England.

How to comment

You should read both the evaluation consultation document and the accompanying evidence (see the committee papers) before making any comments.

We have a new way of making comments on this consultation. You must make your comments directly onto the online version of the consultation document. When you go into the document you will find instructions on how to use the new commenting software. You can also review and edit your comments before you submit them.

You can download a PDF version of the consultation document and overview, but you can only make comments on the online versions.

Consultation document

Supporting documents

This document has been prepared for consultation with the consultees. It summarises the evidence and views that have been considered, and sets out the draft recommendations made by the committee. NICE invites comments from the consultees and commentators for this evaluation and the public. This document should be read along with the evidence (see the committee papers).

The evaluation committee is interested in receiving comments on the following:

  • Has all of the relevant evidence been taken into account?

  • Are the summaries of the criteria considered by the committee, and the clinical and economic considerations reasonable interpretations of the evidence?

  • Are the provisional recommendations sound and a suitable basis for guidance on the use of setmelanotide in the context of national commissioning by NHS England?

  • Are there any aspects of the recommendations that need particular consideration to ensure we avoid unlawful discrimination against any group of people on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity?

Note that this document is not NICE's final guidance on this technology. The recommendations in section 1 may change after consultation.

After consultation:

  • The evaluation committee will meet again to consider the evidence, this evaluation consultation document and comments from the consultees.

  • At that meeting, the committee will also consider comments made by people who are not consultees.

  • After considering these comments, the committee will prepare the final evaluation document.

  • Subject to any appeal by consultees, the final evaluation document may be used as the basis for NICE's guidance on using setmelanotide in the context of national commissioning by NHS England.

For further details, see the interim process and methods of the highly specialised technologies programme.

The key dates for this evaluation are:

Closing date for comments: 21st February 2022

Second evaluation committee meeting: 13th April 2022

Details of membership of the evaluation committee are given in section 7.