The much anticipated O’Shaughnessy report examining commercial clinical trials in the UK was published at the end of May 2023. Its findings have prompted the UK government to initiate a series of actions, in response to its 27 recommendations, that are designed to make the UK a world leader in this important part of the life sciences industry.
The new report, ‘Promoting population health through pharmaceutical policy: The role of the UK Voluntary Scheme’, produced by researchers at the London School of Economics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and University of York, investigates the costs of prescription medicines to the NHS in England.
With Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 having taken place from 15-21 May and focusing on anxiety, what advances have there been in this field to support those with mental health conditions? We examine the status of mental health therapy demand in the UK and whether the provision of digitally enabled treatments could be one way to help ease waiting times.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment are set to be accelerated with the opening of England’s first Integrated Pathology Unit (IPU). The new facility will apply pioneering digital imaging and artificial intelligence to pathology, assisting clinical trial research programmes focused on developing tests for cancer.
Discussions are beginning on the next iteration of the UK’s voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing and access (VPAS) and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has set out its stall to government. It has published a four-point proposal for a Voluntary Scheme for Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG), designed to reignite competitiveness and boost innovation in the life sciences sector, thereby improving health outcomes and the wider economy.
The 2023 annual conference of the UK’s Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) at the end of April had a theme of Growing the UK as a Global Hub for Life Sciences.
New research has found that the public believes a new approach should be adopted for making funding decisions about treatments for rare diseases. The report ‘Rare insights: examining the social values of treating rare diseases’, was commissioned by the UK BioIndustry Association’s (BIA) Rare Disease Industry Group (RDIG).
Despite opposition from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the UK government has confirmed its plans to raise the revenue clawback rate paid by pharma for branded medicines under the statutory scheme by just over 3%, from 24.4% to 27.5% for 2023.
The UK government has published a report outlining progress on the Rare Disease Action Plan 2022, as well as details of the priorities of the Rare Disease Framework for 2023.
Marking the annual Rare Disease Day on 28 February, this article examines how developments in genomics and healthcare are leading to the diagnosis of many rare diseases and helping to pinpoint the care individual patients need.
