UK's NICE launches new service to accelerate regulation

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is introducing a new service to speed up the adoption of new medicines, devices and diagnostics by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

The new Office for Market Access (OMA) will give stakeholders access to a dedicated NICE team able to answer enquiries on health technology evaluation. The team will offer tailored support and facilitate beneficial interactions between companies and regulators, research organizations, NHS organizations, healthcare trade associations and government departments.

Carole Longson, NICE Health Technology Evaluation Center director, said: “Technology continues to transform our ability to predict, diagnose and treat disease. New drugs and technologies – many developed here in the UK with our superb science base – are helping to turn conditions that used to disable or kill people into chronic illnesses. NICE can encourage the faster development and delivery of new, effective, innovative and affordable drugs and technologies to patients. As part of this, we are launching an Office for Market Access, OMA. OMA will help to improve the rates at which drugs, devices and diagnostics get picked up and adopted by the NHS.”