An NHS Challenge for Pharma: Driving Innovation Beyond Medicines

At the FT Global Pharma and Biotech Summit 2024, NHS Director of Value and Access, Fiona Bride, invited industry to see innovation as more than just medicine alone. She emphasised the need for a holistic approach, where pharmaceutical companies have an opportunity to partner with the NHS across the entire patient journey, particularly as it […]

The Darzi Report diagnoses the NHS, opening the door for long-term solutions

Stethoscope on United Kingdom flag

The publication of the Darzi report yesterday has set the stage for Labour to pitch its solutions to the public on how they are planning to cure a chronically struggling health service. Alongside the damage caused by Covid, the report asserts that the crisis has been driven by austerity and a lack of capital investment, […]

Draghi’s Prescription for a Healthier European Pharmaceutical Sector

Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s recent report on EU competitiveness offers a potential lifeline for the European pharmaceutical sector. While acknowledging the sector’s strengths, Draghi identifies a growing competitiveness gap with the US, particularly in biologics, orphan drugs, and advanced therapies. What’s ailing EU pharma? Draghi points to four key issues: Draghi’s recommendations present a roadmap for […]

What to expect as the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation reform enters endgame

After several delays, the European Commission has finally published its long-awaited proposal for a pharmaceutical package. The package consists of the revision of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation, the revision of the Paediatrics and Rare Disease legislation as well as a Council Recommendation on antimicrobial resistance. Within these developments, the once in a generation reform to […]

2023 Trends in Women’s Health

2022 was the year the conversation around women’s health went mainstream: celebrities like Davina McCall and Penny Lancaster campaigned to end the stigma around menopause and for greater access to HRT; Cherry Healy hosted a primetime show around busting women’s health taboos for Channel 5; over 2000 businesses signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge; the response […]

Will this be the Parliament where Britain’s growing mental health crisis is tackled?

This week’s Queen’s Speech placed mental health reform on the parliamentary agenda. Changes to the Mental Health Act will focus on giving people greater control over their treatment, redressing racial disparities and tackling rising detentions. While welcoming reform of the “antiquated” Act, the mental health sector has long-called for government action to improve Britain’s “struggling” […]

Genomic testing: a win-win for the UK Government?

One of the many legacies of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a subtle but marked increase in the public’s awareness of genomics. The emergence of each new SARS-CoV-2 variant brought with it yet more discussion on the 6 o’clock news and on social media about genetic subtypes, genome lineages, and the output of the UK’s […]

COP26: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, global health leaders confront the climate crisis

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend economies, stretch health systems, spur record-breaking innovation in testing, vaccines and treatments, and necessitate the biggest vaccination campaign in history, global health leaders are increasingly confronting another global threat to human health and well-being; the impacts of a changing climate. While the main focus to negotiations kicking-off […]