About evidence summaries

We summarise the best available evidence for selected new medicines, including off-label use of licensed medicines and unlicensed medicines.

Our evidence summaries are advice rather than formal NICE guidance and do not constitute formal guidance. The strengths and weaknesses of the evidence are critically reviewed within each summary.

Browse evidence summaries

What they are

Evidence summaries inform national commissioning decisions about medicines.

They help healthcare professionals make decisions and support the development and updating of local formularies.

Our summaries also inform the public about medicines and conditions. They can inform you about unlicensed medicines or off-label use of licensed medicines and can help you decide on a medicine if there are no suitable alternatives licensed for your situation.

What they cover

Our summaries collect the best available evidence for selected medicines that are of significance to the NHS.

Evidence summaries can cover new medicines which are:

  • authorised or launched in the UK within the last 6 months

  • currently authorised but licensed for a new indication within the last 6 months

  • a new formula of an existing licensed medicine authorised or launched in the UK within the last 6 months.

Evidence summaries can cover unlicensed medicines which are:

  • issued when there is no licensed medicine for a condition

  • used when there is no licensed medicine appropriate for a significant proportion of people needing treatment for a condition.

They also cover off-label use of licensed medicines which are used outside of their marketing authorisation.

Who they're for

Our evidence summaries can inform the decision making of groups involved in:

  • commissioning or funding services using medicines, such as NHS England, regional medicines optimisation committees (RMOCs) and local area prescribing committees (APCs)

  • developing medicines optimisation policies

  • individual funding requests, for example, within an Integrated Care System (ICS) or NHS trust

You can also use our summaries if you are:

  • a healthcare professional

  • a patient or member of the public

  • involved in local commissioning decisions for planning purposes, for example, within an ICS or NHS trust

  • involved in local medicines optimisation and horizon scanning services.

Our process

Our process guide sets out how we select topics and prepare the summaries.

Read evidence summaries process guide