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ABPI Website
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Ensuring value, access & uptake of innovative medicines & vaccines, now & in the future
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UK medicine pricing
- Transforming lives, raising productivity
Transforming lives, raising productivity
New medicines have the power to transform patients’ lives with breakthroughs in care available to the NHS right now for many conditions including cancer to kidney disease.
Medicines will be key to the NHS's post-pandemic recovery and tackling the care backlog caused by the impact of COVID-19 on the health service.
The NHS has made progress towards making some of the most exciting new medicines and vaccines available to patients. But the lack of availability of new medicines is a barrier to NHS recovery.
A new report from PwC for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry reveals a picture of variable and slow access to the newest, innovative treatments.
A new report says: Limited availability of new medicines is a barrier to NHS post-pandemic recovery.
The challenge. We looked at just 4 types of medicines available to NHS patients right now...
... and found that improving uptake of these new treatments could see...
Improved patient care: 1.2 million eligible patients receiving treatments available to them.
Patient lives transformed: 429,000 additional years of life in good health for NHS patients.
A boost to the economy: £17.9 billion in productivity gains to the UK economy.
Support for public finances: £5.5 billion paid directly back to the exchequer.
Read more about the power of new medicines to transform patient care.
Revealing the picture of medicines access in the UK
A new report from PwC for the ABPI shows that, while the NHS has made progress in recent years, access to medicines in the UK remains poor especially in comparison to other developed countries.
The UK faces three challenges:
Breadth of access
NHS patients have lower access to innovative medicines than patients in other countries.
Speed of access
The average wait time to get a new medicine on the NHS once its available is slower than in other countries.
Extent and rate of uptake
For most medicines, even five years after they are available on the NHS, they are used less than in other countries.
A new report says: Limited availability of new medicines is a barrier to NHS post-pandemic recovery.
The challenge. We looked at just 4 types of medicines available to NHS patients right now...
... and found that improving uptake of these new treatments could see...
Improved patient care: 1.2 million eligible patients receiving treatments available to them.
Patient lives transformed: 429,000 additional years of life in good health for NHS patients.
A boost to the economy: £17.9 billion in productivity gains to the UK economy.
Support for public finances: £5.5 billion paid directly back to the exchequer.
Read more about the power of new medicines to transform patient care.
What is the size of the prize?
The report looked at four classes of medicines and has shown that, by working together and boosting access, the pharmaceutical industry, government, and the NHS could deliver an estimated:
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1.2 million additional NHS patients getting treatment for which they are currently eligible
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429,000 additional years of life in good health for patients
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£17.9 billion in productivity gains for the United Kingdom
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£5.5 billion of which directly back to the Exchequer through taxes
A potential game-changer for patients
Across just four types of medicines, we have produced estimates for how many more patients could be getting access to medicines they are eligible for currently.
Improving access to treatments for stroke prevention, kidney disease, asthma, and type 2 diabetes could be a game-changer for an estimated 1.2 million patients.
How do we compare internationally?
The UK sees poorer health outcomes versus other countries, with significantly worse results for many conditions including cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Delivering on the UK Government’s domestic agenda means looking at medicines, which will be central to everything from the War on Cancer to the Life Science Vision.
Giving more patients more years in good health
Across the four types of medicines investigated, by expanding access to patients that are already eligible for treatments on the NHS right now, almost half a million more years of good life could be delivered.
To the estimated millions of patients and their families, this could mean all the difference.
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Last modified: 20 September 2023
Last reviewed: 20 September 2023