The government has announced a new fast-track route into the NHS
for “breakthrough” medicines and technologies. This will speed up
the time it takes for patients to benefit from ground-breaking
products for conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes.
From April 2018, the new
‘accelerated access pathway’ will mean products with the greatest
potential to change lives could be available up to 4 years
earlier. It will be done by reducing the time it takes
to negotiate evaluation and financial approvals before the NHS
can purchase the products.
Under the scheme, a number of products each year will receive
‘breakthrough’ designation. This will unlock a package of support
allowing firms to accelerate clinical development and gain a
fast-track route through the NHS’s approval processes.
Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy said:
I want the UK to be the best place in the world to develop new
drugs and medical technology – but despite the innovation
happening here, our uptake in the NHS can be too slow.
Today’s new measures will not only benefit patients by
improving how quickly and easily we can get innovative products
from the lab to the bedside, but will guarantee future
collaboration between the life sciences sector and the NHS
post-Brexit – benefiting the British economy and creating jobs.
Sir Andrew Witty, former chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline, will
lead the Accelerated Access Collaborative, to highlight which
products should be granted access to the pathway. The
collaborative will draw on advice from patients, clinicians and
industry.
In return, life sciences firms will be expected to deliver
additional value for the taxpayer, with a new Strategic
Commercial Unit being created within NHS England to negotiate
cost effective deals.
Sir Andrew Witty, Chair of the Accelerated Access Collaborative,
said:
Patients, scientists and the UK economy will all benefit from
the positive steps outlined by the government today.
The opportunity to ensure the NHS gets rapid access to cost
effective breakthrough technologies is vitally important, and
I’m delighted to help lead the effort to deliver this.
The government is also providing an £86 million package to help
innovators of all sizes gain access to the NHS market, to get
their products to patients.
The package includes:
- support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help
them build a stronger evidence base for their products, with £35
million over 4 years for digital products, and £6 million for
medtech, diagnostics and pharmaceutical products
- £6 million to support clinicians to use new treatments and
technologies in everyday practice
- £39 million to encourage grassroots adoption and uptake of
new medical technologies – driven by 15 Academic Health Science
Networks responsible for identifying high potential products,
supporting their adoption in the regions, and sharing lessons
across the NHS
