Hundreds of millions of pounds will be invested in the UK life sciences industry to improve patient care and fund new medical breakthroughs, as the UK government announced the launch of its Life Sciences Strategy and a review of innovation in the NHS on 5 December.
According to a press release published on www.number10.gov.uk, the official website of the British Prime Minister’s office, key measures include:
• installing remote medical devices– such as home-based equipment that can send details of the vital statistics of at-risk patients directly to doctors – to 3 million people over the next five years
• consultation on proposals for a new “early access scheme” that will accelerate the introduction of new drugs and technologies in NHS hospitals
• a new £180 million fund to help the next generation of British medical breakthroughs become the next generation of great British companies.
Commenting on the plan, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is quoted as saying, “We can be proud of our past, but we cannot be complacent about our future. The industry is changing, not just year by year, but month by month. We’ve got a leading science base, four of the world’s top 10 universities and a National Health Service unlike any other. But these strengths alone are not enough to keep pace with what’s happening. We’ve got to change radically—the way we innovate, the way we collaborate, the way we open up the NHS.”
The UK life science industry, which includes pharmaceutical, medical technology and medical biotechnology companies, is one of the world leaders. It is the third largest contributor to economic growth in the UK, with more than 4,000 companies, employing around 160,000 people and with a total annual turnover of over £50 billion.
