New drugs to reach the NHS years earlier

PIONEERING drugs are to be fasttracked into the Nhs to ensure they reach patients quicker.

health Minister Nicola Blackwood will today unveil a roll-out of the Nhs ‘accelerated access’ scheme.

it is designed to select the most promising new drugs, tests and medical devices at an early stage and steer them through Nhs red tape. The existing system run by health watchdog Nice gets the best deal for taxpayers – but is slow.

The accelerated access scheme aims to reduce by four years the time it takes for drugs to get to British patients, from the current 17 years from patent. in return, officials will be in a strong position to negotiate the best discounts for the Nhs.

Today, Lady Blackwood will tell the Association of the British Pharmaceutical industry conference: ‘i want the Nhs to be at the forefront of cutting-edge treatments and medical innovations – but often it can take too long for products to get from the bench to the bedside.

The accelerated access [scheme] will speed up this process so patients and the Nhs can be the first in the world to benefit from the most transformative technologies and treatments.’

A pilot scheme has already seen 12 products – including two cholesterol medicines, a non- surgical treatment for enlarged prostates and two blood tests for pre-eclampsia – steered into the Nhs.