UK government looks to speed up access to new medicines

The UK government has announced a substantial investment package from industry, and that it is to carry out a review of the life sciences sector under the name Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review. It aims to consider how to speed up patient access to cost-effective and innovative medicines, devices and diagnostics.

This is in response to the fact that, at present, it takes more than a decade and £1 billion ($1.57 billion) on average to bring a new drug to market, and the government believes new practices are needed.

It will examine how new approaches to developing medicines, diagnostics and devices could speed up access for National Health Service (NHS) patients, how more collaborative work between companies and regulatory bodies could lead to more efficient assessments, how charities and patient groups can help improve access, and what can be done to improve rapid adoption of medical innovations into clinical practice.