"Joined-up" approach needed in UK to deliver life sciences strategy

A report published yesterday by IMS Health - which shows the slow progress being made on the uptake of new medicines in the UK - has led the chief of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to call for a more joined up approach to the government’s life sciences strategy.

The review, titled Bridging the Gap - Why some patients don’t receive NICE recommended treatments in England, lists the numerous barriers to medicines reaching patients and calls for urgent action to remove these obstacles. The findings come one year after the UK government published its Life Sciences strategy, which aimed to boost health and economic indicators by turning round the UK’s poor record on medicines uptake.

Yet with this latest report showing progress remains slow, Stephen Whitehead, chief executive of the ABPI, has said all partners involved in the Life Sciences strategy need to work more closely together and redouble their efforts, whilst thinking hard about how key components of the Strategy can be achieved whilst uptake remains poor. He added that the National Health Service needs to understand that using the newest medicines can transform patient health, reduce costs by keeping people out of hospital and supports the pharmaceutical industry to create new treatments and economic prosperity in the UK.