TRAINING & EDUCATION
development and marketing, observed: “The pharmaceutical industry spends more on research and development in the UK than any other sector and with the government investment in research facilities through the NIHR, and access to the patient populations through the NHS, this makes the UK a very attractive place to conduct clinical research.”
Commercial research in the UK
So what else is there to do to improve the environment for commercial research in the UK and help the Government’s plan to flourish? One example is the introduction of the mandatory use of the NIHR Industry Costing Template for NHS providers from 1 October 2018.
The template, which works alongside the NIHR Model Clinical Trials Agreement, was first introduced 10 years ago, and designed to simplify the cost arrangements for NHS trusts and speed up the set up of clinical trials. James Brook from IQVIA said: “The
mandatory use of the costing template will be hugely beneficial to the Industry. However, in an ideal world, the NIHR would manage the whole contracting process. Having a centrally managed system, perhaps using an online tool, based on costs provided by the local hospital and patient pathways, so that contracts can be processed in days not weeks!” Another is the proposal of ‘high throughput sites’ which are hospitals, or a collection of hospitals, with a specific focus on conducting commercial research in a fast and efficient manner - a system similar to that which IQVIA has been using for 10 years, which they call Prime sites, and again the life sciences industry is very supportive of this idea.
The ‘B’ word
With Brexit looming, how does the UK life sciences sector and the NIHR ensure the clinical research environment continues to thrive? Both Matt Cooper and James Brook are of the opinion that Brexit is not a threat to the UK’s ability to conduct good quality clinical research. In particular, James Brook considers Brexit to be an opportunity to do things faster and better - something the life sciences industry is always looking for. “As part of the EU we have no need to differentiate ourselves from the rest of Europe or the rest of the world,” he asserted. “Being part of that large constitution has its benefits - we’re guaranteed to get a piece of the pie but it also has its drawbacks - in that it has to have the agreement of 28 countries to make things happen and that can make processes slower than the rest of the world - time that we don’t always have.
“But we’re on the cusp of making the UK an even better place to conduct research. We have an opportunity to break the mould and be independent. We can take best- practice examples from around the world and set our own pathway without being tied into a 28-legged race. We have a role to play in reassuring the world that Britain continues to be a great place to conduct clinical research
post Brexit and we should embrace the change that will bring.”
The NIHR is also looking at options to make the UK even more attractive to life sciences industry now and post-Brexit, as Matt Cooper explained: “The digital age we now live in brings huge opportunity. We have the best healthcare record system in the world and we are exploring how we can make the most out of this dataset, essentially allowing us to truly see where the patient populations are and match research studies to patients quicker. Other developments include virtual trials, which could allow for an online, virtual consultation, with your doctor as part of your
James Brook considers Brexit to be an opportunity to do things faster and better - something the life sciences industry is always looking for.
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trial. You would then enter your research data via a smartphone or computer which goes directly back to the sponsor of the trial. These are realistic options for the near future that we simply cannot ignore.
“Whatever deal the UK negotiates with the EU, we can be confident that the NIHR and our support for clinical research is here to stay. We are delivering well for the life sciences industry, allowing more patients than ever to access clinical research and our track record speaks for itself that we can deliver great quality patient data in a timely manner.”
References
1
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/life-sciences- industry/useful-info/Impact%20and%20 Value%20summary_May2017.pdf
2
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/life-sciences- industry/useful-info/Impact%20and%20Value %20summary_May2017.pdf
3
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/life-sciences- industry/useful-info/Impact%20and%20Value %20summary_May2017.pdf
4
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ industrial-strategy-building-a-britain-fit-for-the- future
5
https://www.abpi.org.uk/publications/the- economic-contribution-of-the-uk-life-sciences- industry/
NOVEMBER 2018
CSJ
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