SMC has a patient and public involvement strategy. Disease specific patient interest groups are encouraged to submit evidence to SMC reflecting the views of those patients and carers most likely to be affected by the medicine being assessed.  For example, when a medicine targeted at osteoporosis comes before SMC a disease specific patient interest group such as the National Osteoporosis Society may make a submission or when an asthma drug is considered, Asthma UK or the British Lung Foundation may do so.

However, there are other public and patient representative bodies such as Public Partnership Fora that represent the interests of patients but with more diverse health problems/diseases rather than the single problem to which a new medicine is likely to be targeted.