Key Summary
- UK and Singapore launch a joint fast-track route for new health technologies
- Companies can get early advice from both regulators at once to cut delays
- Aim is faster access to safe breakthrough treatments for patients
The UK and Singapore on Friday (12) launched a new regulatory innovation corridor that would help patients access life-changing therapies.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has entered into a regulatory collaboration with Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), with Flagship Pioneering as its first partner.
The companies can now engage with both regulators at the same time.
They will be able to seek early, informal joint advice, helping them plan ahead and design better clinical trials, avoid duplication and cut delays.
This will speed up patient access to breakthrough therapies in areas such as cancer, neurodegenerative disease, obesity, rare diseases and advanced diagnostics, without compromising on safety.
Flagship Pioneering will be the first company to access the new corridor, due to its ties with both countries.
Health Innovation minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said, “By enabling companies to work with both regulators at once, we’re also making the UK more attractive for life sciences investment and securing the high-skilled jobs and research that comes with it.”
The UK has a long track record of ties with Singapore in science and technology.
The two regulators, MHRA and HSA, will work closely on areas supporting national strategies in both countries - England’s 10-year Health Plan and Singapore’s Healthier SG programme.
The collaboration will be supported by joint work on AI in healthcare, with both regulators acting as the first two pioneer countries in the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network.
This initiative forms part of efforts to unlock growth in UK life sciences and make simpler for global innovators to bring safe, effective medicines and medical technologies to patients.
MHRA chief executive Lawrence Tallon said, “This new fast-track route marks a significant shift in how trusted regulators can work together. By bringing together the UK’s research strength with Singapore’s agile approach to emerging technologies - and working early with companies like Flagship Pioneering - we can help companies build better evidence from the start and avoid delays in development.”
“The Regulatory Innovation Corridor marks a significant milestone in how two regulators, Singapore’s HSA and the UK’s MHRA, can come together to advance global regulatory innovation and benefit patients,” said adjunct professor (Dr) Raymond Chua, chief executive officer of the Health Sciences Authority.
“By establishing this corridor, the UK and Singapore are signalling a shared commitment to accelerating breakthrough science responsibly and at scale,” commented Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering.
