Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

ABPI wants to see a ‘fourth shift’ in NHS 10-Year Health Plan

Investing in medicines and vaccines could revolutionise healthcare and help the government deliver the economic growth, says ABPI

Fourth Shift: Investment in Innovative Medicines Crucial for NHS 10-Year Plan Success

Medicines should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost

gettyimages


The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has called on the government to increase investment in innovative medicines and vaccines, describing it as a crucial “fourth shift” necessary to ensure the NHS is fit for the future.


This was one of the recommendations outlined in a new paper published Today (4) by the ABPI to help the government transform the NHS and drive economic growth.

Through the new NHS 10-Year Plan, the government aims to transform the NHS by shifting from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.

However, ABPI argued that achieving the shifts will require a ‘fourth shift’ - investing in innovative medicines.

“Raising levels of NHS investment in innovative medicines to internationally comparable levels could significantly reduce unwarranted variation in standards of health and care, improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities, tackle patient backlogs and support people to re-enter the workforce,” the paper stated.

The report pointed out that the UK spends less on medicines than most of its peers, with medicines accounting for 9 per cent of the UK’s healthcare spend compared to countries like Germany and Italy (both 17 per cent) and France (15 per cent).

This underinvestment, it warned, has hindered patient access to new treatments, with the number of new medicines available on the NHS in England declining by 10 per cent in recent years—marking the steepest drop among leading EU countries.

“Given that medicines and vaccines play a fundamental role in preventing both the onset and progression of disease, this is detrimental to the government’s agenda for the NHS,” the report said.

The ABPI also stressed the importance of strategic investment in NHS research capacity and health data infrastructure to deliver the NHS 10-Year Plan, and how the pharmaceutical industry can be a key partner in driving transformative change.

A critical factor in enabling greater investment in medicines, the association noted, will be the Autumn Review of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines, Pricing and Growth (VPAG).

Currently, the scheme “caps the growth in medicines spend significantly below levels of NHS demand, placing huge pressure on industry and jeopardising patient access to medicines and economic growth,” it said.

Richard Torbett, ABPI’s chief executive, emphasised that the NHS 10-Year Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan represent opportunities to drive economic growth, but this will require the government to view medicines as “an investment rather than a cost.”

“The NHS 10-Year Plan particularly must maximise the contribution of innovation from all parts of the life sciences sector to succeed, including the vital role of medicines and vaccines,” he said.

“Investing appropriately in innovative medicines and vaccines, and incentivising the research that delivers them, will power the delivery of the 10-Year Plan.

“This investment is the ‘fourth shift’ that will benefit patients, the NHS and the life sciences sector, which can then drive health and growth throughout the UK,” he added.

Life sciences are a critical pillar of the UK economy, with the pharmaceutical sector serving as the most valuable segment.

In 2022, the pharmaceutical sector invested £9 billion in research and development, generating £17.6 billion in economic value, supporting 126,000 highly skilled jobs, and driving £26.1 billion in exports.

In 2022, the pharmaceutical industry contributed £9 billion in research and development (worth £17.6 billion in economic value), 126,000 highly skilled jobs, and £26.1 billion in exports.

Additionally, commercial clinical trials raised £1.2 billion of NHS revenue, supporting 13,000 jobs in the NHS.

More For You

RPS group aims to tackle barriers holding back black pharmacy students

Work is underway to improve inclusivity in teaching

Pic credit: iStock

RPS group aims to tackle barriers holding back black pharmacy students

A cross-sector group aimed at tackling barriers that block the progression of black students and trainee pharmacists held its first meeting this week.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has created the Differential Attainment Oversight Group to address issues that black or black British African student pharmacists and foundation trainees face such as limited access to work experience, financial support and visible role models in education and training.

Keep ReadingShow less
Older adult organizing medicine bottles in a cool, dry storage area during warm weather.

People are being advised to keep medicine below 25° C

Pic credit: iStock

Pharmacies advise patients on storing medicines safely during heatwave

Patients are being given important advice and guidance on the impact heat can have on their medicine and where to keep different medicines as the UK goes through a heatwave.

People are being advised to keep medicine below 25° C if they are able to, unless storage instructions state it needs to be kept at an alternative temperature, such as drugs that need to be refrigerated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Astrazeneca Office Building  Outlook

British Medical Journal has found data discrepancy during the crucial clinical trials of AstraZeneca's heart drug ticagrelor.

iStock

Top medics question trials of AstraZeneca's anti-clotting pill

The effectiveness of anti-clotting pill ticagrelor is now under a cloud, with some experts claiming that AstraZeneca misreported data when the trials were conducted more than a decade ago.

Sold as Brilinta, the pill was approved for use on the NHS in 2011 after trials claimed it could prevent one in five deaths after a heart attack, and the generic versions of the drug are scheduled for this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Boots pension dispute

The Pensions Ombudsman has begun an investigation into the decision by the Trustees of Boots Pension Scheme to remove members' option to retire on an unreduced pension at age 60.

iStock

Pensions Ombudsman probing Boots pension dispute

The Pensions Ombudsman has begun an investigation into the decision by the Trustees of Boots Pension Scheme to remove members' option to retire on an unreduced pension at age 60.

According to the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), the ombudsman has decided to take a ‘lead case’ approach, as several members have been affected by the issue.

Keep ReadingShow less
23andMe

More than 150,000 UK residents had their personal information taken by hackers during a data breach in 2023.

iStock

UK watchdog fines 23andMe £2.31m for data breach

Genetic testing firm 23andMe has been fined £2.31 million by a UK watchdog over a 2023 data breach, when the personal information of seven million people across the world was stolen.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said the California-based company, which later filed for bankruptcy, failed to put adequate measures in place to secure sensitive user data.

Keep ReadingShow less