UK drugmakers body ABPI wants changes at NHS watchdog NICE to fit 'value-based' era

Changes are needed in the remit of the UK drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), to equip it for the future “value-based” era envisaged by government, according to the trade group the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

Speaking yesterday at the Westminster Health Forum in London, which is holding a seminar on the changing role of the NICE, Richard Barker, director general of the ABPI, set out a three-point plan for the future:

• Broaden NICE’s definition of value to capture all the key elements of health care innovation, and reflect uncertainties in early assessment of medicines in value ranges.
• Refocus attention on clinical best practice and quality standards and how innovation can advance both.
• Dismantle National Health Service (NHS) processes that “second-guess” NICE conclusions.