A new Blueprint to put innovation at the heart of healthcare delivery has been launched by the Office for Life Sciences (OLS).
The Blueprint aims to transform the UK environment for life sciences companies and ensure faster patient access to cutting-edge medicines and technologies.
NICE has supported the new Blueprint and announced changes to its own interactions with the pharmaceutical industry to create a better working relationship.
As part of the new agreement, the Government and NICE will introduce an ‘Innovation Pass’, a three-year initiative that will make selected innovative medicines available on the NHS for a time-limited period. The Pass will be piloted in 2010/2011, with a budget of £25 million.
Lord Darzi, Health Minister for Quality and Innovation, said: “Establishing a culture of innovation is essential for the NHS to meet any current economic challenges, and the Life Sciences Blueprint will help us continue to support this country’s knowledge industries and ensure that we benefit from the competitive edge which they provide.”
In welcoming the Blueprint, NICE emphasised the importance of the life sciences industry both to patients and to the UK’s economy. Chief Executive Andrew Dillon went on to explain how NICE will be changing how it works with companies to increase confidence in its product evaluations.
“Later this year, we will begin asking pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies whose products we are evaluating to make technical staff available to engage with our advisory Appraisal Committees,” he said. “They will be able to respond to requests from committee chairs to clarify the data they have submitted and to point out any error of fact in the presentation of their data.”
Other features of the Blueprint include a review of system incentives to accelerate the uptake of medical technologies, a greater emphasis on research and clinical trials in the next NHS Operating Framework, the formation of a UK Life Sciences Super Cluster to co-ordinate work across industry, Higher Education and the NHS, and the investment of an extra £1 million to promote the UK and NHS brands at flagship life sciences events.
In addition, the Technology Strategy Board will launch an £18 million ‘RegenMed’ programme of investment to support commercial R&D with additional funding from the Medical Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.