The UK government has launched a joint public-private investment programme worth up to £400m, to provide UK patients with earlier access to new treatments and boost clinical trials.
The new initiative, dubbed the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Programme, will also support health research in the country.
VPAG is a voluntary agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
It is designed to improve patient outcomes, manage the NHS medicines bill, and support the life sciences industry, and bring additional investment from pharmaceutical companies.
The programme will direct significant investment into the country’s health and life sciences sector over the coming five years, to enhance economic growth and competition in the sector.
According to the UK government, VPAG is the world’s first major public-private collaboration at this scale and will strengthen the NHS by supporting new research.
ABPI chief executive Richard Torbett said: “The life science industry has the potential to deliver so much more for the UK – but to do this we need to fix the NHS, improve patient access to medicines and invest more in our critical science and regulatory infrastructure.
“This world-first investment programme puts industry money behind the government’s vision to make better health and science a driver of economic growth.”
The VPAG programme will spend 75% of the investment to expand the UK’s clinical trials capacity and capabilities, with up to 18 new commercial research delivery centres (CRDCs).
It will also support researchers with enhanced access to the latest equipment and technology across hospital and primary, community and residential care settings.
The initiative will direct around 20% of the funding towards sustainable manufacturing initiatives, promoting efficiency and reducing waste and emissions within the pharmaceutical sector.
The remaining 5% investment will be used to support advanced Health Technology Assessment (HTA) approaches for new treatments.
It includes support for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) HTA Innovation Laboratory and a new horizon scanning database, UK Pharmascan.
UK Pharmascan will provide information on new medicines entering the market, benefiting both patients and the wider health system.
UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: “This private investment is a significant vote of confidence in the UK and will fast-track the next generation of treatments to NHS patients.
“It will enhance the UK’s global competitiveness and transform the country into the epicentre of health research, supporting an NHS fit for the future.
“By cutting waiting lists and fixing our NHS, we can make it an engine for growth and build the healthy society needed for a healthy economy.”
