OBJECTIVES: NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) health technology appraisals (HTA) are used to ensure only technologies with proven cost effectiveness are funded by NHS England. In recognition of the perceived additional value of extending life at the end-of-life and where no other treatments options exist, additional funds are available through the cancer drugs fund (CDF). The CDF was relaunched in July 2016 to replace the original, temporary fund set up in 2011, as ‘a new managed access scheme with clear entry and exit criteria’. The aims of this study are to identify technologies which have been reimbursed under the relaunched CDF and to compare these to decisions prior to the relaunch.

METHODS: Hand-searching of NICE’s decisions was carried out to identify cancer technologies assessed for reimbursement in the periods 29^th July 2016 - 28^th May 2018 (relaunched CDF) and 29^th August 2014 - 28^th July 2016 (temporary CDF).

RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: The rate of technology approval has not substantially changed, with 84% of technologies assessed since the introduction of the relaunched CDF recommended or optimised, compared to 88% of technologies assessed before the relaunch. However, more than twice as many oncology appraisals were completed, meaning there was a substantial increase in the actual number of oncology technologies made available within NHS England.