25.09.17
Aligning innovation with ambition, capacity and access
Source: NHE Sep/Oct 2017
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, outlines how his organisation is changing to help position the UK as a world leader in life sciences.
As demand grows and the pace and scale of medical innovation matches it, the health and care system needs to work in a way which continues to deliver effective care, supports innovation and growth in the life sciences sector, and acknowledges that the NHS does not have endless resources to pay for every latest medical treatment. The need to align the ambition that the health and care system has for the nature and range of services it should provide with the resources and capacity it has available to do so is the central challenge facing decision-makers.
Sir John Bell’s report on the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy recognises this challenge in the NHS and proposes a framework in which life sciences thrive alongside new ways of working between industry, the NHS and the regulatory landscape. NICE has been engaged in this important work and in the implementation of Sir Hugh Taylor’s Accelerated Access Review. We are ready to work with industry and the government on the coming sector deal.
Beyond these government initiatives we have also worked with industry, regulatory partners and the NHS on developing new approaches to assess health technologies such as the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the reformed Cancer Drugs Fund, and through changes to our own technology appraisal programmes. Key aims of this work have been fast-tracking NICE appraisals and aligning process more with licensing arrangements. This is helping to ensure patients have access to the most promising, cost-effective treatments, and innovators are supported to get their products through the pipeline more quickly.
We are already seeing good progress. Since the Cancer Drugs Fund reforms were introduced last year, NICE has approved 18 of the 24 drugs it was asked to look at. Crucially, we have achieved this without compromising on the rigour and transparency that are our hallmarks.
We have also created new opportunities for industry partners to engage outside of our process. Through our Scientific Advice Programme and our Office for Market Access, we have been able to develop constructive relationships with companies to inform the offer they want to make to the NHS. Scientific Advice helps innovators develop the evidence early on in clinical development. The Office for Market Access provides a ‘front-door service’ to help companies develop their value proposition, navigate NICE and other parts of the regulatory regime and engage in commercial negotiations with the NHS.
The changes we have made and resources we have developed to support industry are integral to the vision we have for working with the life sciences sector and helping to safeguard NHS finances. Having clear, flexible approaches to medical technology evaluation reduces uncertainty for companies in the UK. Through collaboration with NHS England we can help manage the introduction of costly treatments. Ensuring timely identification and evaluation of the most cost-effective health innovations incentivises companies to plan early launches in the market. By supporting the adoption of promising new technologies and using the NICE funding directive, we can help to drive uptake and improve patient care.
NICE has the global reputation and the expertise to realise this vision and help position the country as a world leader in life sciences. For nearly 20 years we have been at the heart of the debate around innovation, ambition, capacity and access. Through our own work, continued willingness of the system to work together and supported by government policy we believe the UK can be a strong life sciences market at the cutting edge, providing significant benefits for patients and the nation as a whole.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
W: www.nice.org.uk