Patients will receive medicines 3-6 months faster under 10-Year Health Plan, as regulators set out plans

Under a joint information sharing agreement, pharmaceutical companies will be invited to register early with the MHRA and NICE to allow parallel decision making over licencing and value.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today (Wednesday, 6 August) described how the 10-Year Health Plan will lead to faster medicines access for patients in the NHS in England.

Under a joint information sharing agreement, pharmaceutical companies will be invited to register early with both agencies to allow parallel decision making over licencing and value. It will mean more medicines receive approval for use on the NHS in England at the same time as they are licensed for use in the UK. It’s anticipated that patients in England will receive the newest medicines 3-6 months earlier as a result.

Part of the 10-Year Health Plan and industrial strategy, the new joint service reflects the government’s commitment to smarter regulation, with a target to cut administrative costs for businesses by 25%.

The enhanced coordinated approach offers medicine developers an integrated advice service and an aligned pathway to help them streamline both regulatory and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) requirements and provides a clearer route to help get their treatments to patients.    

To benefit from this service, companies should register their products on UK PharmaScan, the national horizon scanning database, at least three years before their expected marketing authorisation.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:   

“This government is slashing red tape and turbocharging economic growth of the life sciences sector so patients can get the innovative treatments they need, faster.