Innovative pharma-government partnership to enhance UK clinical trials

A major new £400 million public-private collaboration has launched in the UK, aimed at enhancing the life sciences sector’s economic growth and the competitiveness over the next five years. The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme is a joint initiative between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

The innovative programme is set to strengthen clinical trials and improve medicine manufacturing in the UK. Importantly, NHS patients will be able to access new treatments earlier. Additionally, further funding from pharmaceutical companies will help to establish the investment programme.

Boosting UK clinical trials with the VPAG scheme

Prior to the UK elections earlier this year, the ABPI invited commitments from political parties that proposed boosting the amount of commercial clinical trials conducted in the NHS.

“The NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres in England will be a vital part of the UK research delivery infrastructure to drive improvements in patient treatment and enable the NHS to deliver clinical research most effectively,” Professor Lucy Chappell, DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser and CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) explained. 

The VPAG investment programme will support the following projects across the UK’s health and life sciences sectors:

• Enhancing patient participation in commercial clinical trials: a total of 75 percent of the investment will be allocated to increasing the capacity and capability of commercial clinical trials. Up to 18 new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) will be established to enhance the infrastructure of these clinical trials and aid patient trial recruitment in the UK.
• Sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing innovation: around 20 percent of the funding will be directed towards initiatives focused on environmentally friendly manufacturing in the industry.
• Modernising Health Technology Assessment (HTA) approaches: the final five percent of the investment will aid better access to innovative medicines. This includes support for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) HTA Innovation Laboratory.

Enhancing competitiveness in the UK life sciences sector

The VPAG investment scheme “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,” stated Wes Streeting, the UK Government’s Health and Social Care Secretary.

“I warmly welcome the launch of the VPAG Investment Programme as a world-first partnership between government and the pharmaceutical industry that will support life sciences across the UK.

“The programme will help to tackle health inequalities in Northern Ireland by helping to improve equitable access to clinical trials and supporting access to new medicines that are both clinically and cost effective in improving patient outcomes,” shared Mike Nesbitt, Northern Ireland’s Health Minister.

This new initiative supports the UK government’s life sciences plan, net zero targets, and a review of commercial clinical trials by Lord O’Shaughnessy, according to the Department of Health and Social Care and Office for Life Sciences.