UK unveils initiatives to support life sciences
pharmafile | December 5, 2011 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | ABPI, UK, competitiveness, david cameron
The government has unveiled plans to help support the UK’s life science industries.
The new package of measures includes £180 million of extra funding for translational research, and ensuring NICE decisions are followed in the NHS.
Another plan is the Early Access Scheme to speed up patient access to certain new treatments, particularly for cancer drugs which are awaiting regulatory approval.
Like many of the ideas contained in the plan, the idea has been around for a number of years, but the Coalition government is keen to help the life sciences industries, which it see as vital to the UK’s economic future.
NHS patients’ data to be shared
The more contentious part of the plans is to allow private firms access to anonymised NHS patient data in order for them to gain valuable insights into real world data.
But this has been met with opposition from some groups. Patient Concern saying it feared the plans would be the ‘death of patient confidentiality’.
Cutting local variations in uptake
A new ‘NICE compliance regime’ will be introduced to ensure treatments the cost-effectiveness watchdog recommends are adopted across the country, and will be overseen by the new NHS Commissioning Board.
The government says it will require all NICE technology appraisal recommendations to be incorporated automatically into relevant local NHS formularies.
NICE’s decisions are not legally binding but their recommendations should be considered by NHS management and clinicians.
But on a local level many health authorities opt not to fund or prescribe some NICE-recommended drugs due to their high costs, rather than for clinical reasons.
This so-called ‘black’ and ‘red’ listing of medicines has been a major bugbear for UK pharma, and this could be a step toward greater regional uptake of NICE-recommended drugs.
Stephen Whitehead, chief executive of the ABPI, said he welcomed “the introduction of a NICE compliance regime to reduce variation of medicines uptake, increase compliance with NICE technology appraisals, and ensure rapid and consistent implementation throughout the NHS.
“The confirmation that NICE technology appraisal recommendations will be automatically included into appropriate local formularies is a significant step forward,” he added.
Local NHS bodies could even be subject to fines if they are found not adhering to NICE’s guidelines.
An ‘innovation scorecard’ will also be introduced, with the aim of making it clear whether the new enforcement of NICE guidelines is working.
UK life sciences sector gets funding boost
This move is part of a new scheme announced by UK prime minister David Cameron, which aims to encourage closer working between the life sciences industry and the NHS.
This new package includes an extra £180 million into the corporate and academic funding of new medicines.
This £180 million will be split into half, with £90 million going to the Technology Strategy Board, a business-led government body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The other half will go to the Medical Research Council and help fund academic researchers working within its new translational research programme.
The government says its Biomedical Catalyst fund will help the UK life sciences sector grow by “supporting and driving the development of innovative life sciences products and services”.
Launching the plans, David Cameron said: “The end-game is for the NHS to be working hand-in-glove with industry as the fastest adopter of new ideas in the world.”
That would act as a “huge magnet to pull new innovations through, right along the food chain – from the labs, to the boardrooms, to the hospital bed,” he added.
Ben Adams
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