NHS Patients to Benefit from Expanded Accelerated Access

The United Kingdom government announced during the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s (ABPI’s) recent conference that it is making improvements to the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) so that more patients will benefit.

Set up in 2018, AAC is aimed at accelerating patient access to ground-breaking products for conditions such as cancer, dementia, and diabetes. With the new improvements, AAC will become the new umbrella organization for UK health innovation, acting as the entry point for innovators looking to get products funded by the NHS and offering support to overcome barriers that can prevent patient access to medical innovations. The newly improved collaborative will be led by Dr. Sam Roberts as its chief executive. 

“This is a real step forward in making sure UK patients get the latest breakthrough treatments,” said Mike Thompson, CEO of ABPI. “It sends a clear message that the UK intends to build an innovation-led economy alongside a more productive, innovation-ready NHS. We fully support Sam Roberts in making this a huge success that will change the lives of patients in the UK.”

As set out on the UK government’s website, implementation of the new AAC will involve the following:

• Implement a system to identify the best new innovations and make sure the NHS is ready to make use of them.

• Set up a single point of call for innovators working inside or outside the NHS, so they can understand the system and where to go for support.

• Signal the needs of clinicians and patients, so innovators know which problems they need to solve.

• Establish a globally leading testing infrastructure, so innovators can generate the evidence they need to get their products into the NHS.

• Oversee a health innovation funding strategy that ensures public money is focused on the areas of greatest impact for the NHS and patients.

• Support the NHS to more quickly adopt clinically and cost-effective innovations, to ensure patients get access to the best new treatments and technologies faster than ever before.

Sources: gov.uk, ABPI