INNOVATION
Speeding innovation adoption in the NHS
The Accelerated Access Review final report, commissioned by the Government, has outlined a number of key recommendations to improve the adoption of innovation in the NHS.
Patients expect the NHS to provide emerging, transformational innovations as soon as they become available and for health outcomes to keep pace with those of other countries. However, an independent review of innovative medicines and medical technologies acknowledges that the UK lags behind other countries in the adoption of innovation. To address this issue, the Government appointed Sir Hugh Taylor, chair of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, to oversee a review of ‘how the UK could speed up access to innovative drugs, devices, diagnostics and digital products’, in November 2014. The Accelerated Access Review has now published its final report, having sought the views of over 600 people and organisations – ranging from clinicians, NHS commissioners, patient groups and charities, to the life sciences industries, academia and national bodies that influence the innovation pathway.
The report comments that accessing innovation in the NHS has become increasingly challenging. This creates frustration for clinicians and patients who often have to wait for life-saving treatment, and for innovators who must navigate multiple processes before their products can be used. Developed in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, the review recommends the creation of a new accelerated access partnership to speed up and simplify the process for getting the most promising new treatments and diagnostics safely from pre-clinical development to patients. Through the new partnership, innovators would be able to access joined-up help for clinical development, regulation, and assessment of cost effectiveness. It is recommended that the partnership includes NHS England, NHS Improvement, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Patient access to drugs could be brought
forward by up to four years if a scientific opinion from the early access to medicines scheme is used (saving 12 to 18 months) and there is no delay during the technology appraisal (which can take up to two years) or during the process for NHS commissioning and adoption (which can take two years or more).
Digital health
The review recommends a simpler process for digital technologies which are often developed by smaller companies, such as healthcare apps for managing long-term
Patient access to drugs could be brought forward by up to four years if a scientific opinion from the early access to medicines scheme is used.
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conditions. Among the recommendations is the establishment of a ‘digital health technology catalyst’ to deliver digital solutions that offer the opportunity to provide improved outcomes at a lower cost. The report suggests that this should be modelled on the Biomedical Catalyst and aligned with the work of Innovate UK. The Biomedical Catalyst is a competitive challenge fund, run in partnership by Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council. It supports the translation of research into therapies, devices and diagnostics into commercial success and increases the confidence of those private investors who can help support a product to reach the market. It is considered to be highly successful; during phase one, companies in its portfolio realised over £1bn in post-project financing, licensing deals and acquisitions.
A catalyst could provide matched public sector funding, alongside private investment, to address areas of failure in the digital
MARCH 2017
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