NHS patients get faster access to medicines under new pilots

NHS patients get faster access to medicines under new pilots
NHS patients could access cutting-edge medicines potentially months earlier under a series of pioneering pilots
- A series of pilots will test ways to get innovative medicines to NHS patients faster, and support investment in the UK
- The pilots have been developed through a joint government and industry taskforce, delivering on the commitments set out in the UK–US pharmaceutical arrangement
- Nine additional medicines have already been approved for NHS patients in England and Wales since changes to the NICE cost-effectiveness threshold were announced in April
NHS patients could access cutting-edge medicines potentially months earlier under a series of pioneering pilots designed to speed up and improve the fairness of how new treatments reach patients.
A joint taskforce of Government, the pharmaceutical industry and NHS representatives developed the pilots in a 10-week ‘sprint’ process, with input from patient organisations. They will begin testing new approaches to medicines pricing, access and adoption as early as this September.
One of the pilots will look specifically at how innovative treatments that have already met safety, quality and clinical standards can be given to eligible NHS patients more quickly. This includes new therapies for rare conditions.
The announcement builds on changes made to NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold in April 2026, which have already led to nine additional medicines being approved for NHS patients in England and Wales.
These approvals span a range of serious and life-limiting conditions, including blood disorders, autoimmune diseases, and several cancers including brain tumours that could affect young children and advanced stomach cancers for people with limited treatment options.
Together, they could give thousands of patients faster access to potentially life-changing medicines, offering new hope to people who previously had few or no effective treatment options.
As the new mechanisms bed in, NICE expects that up to 5 extra medicines could be approved each year, compared with the previous arrangements, building on its track record of approving more than 90% of all medicines it assesses.
Health and Social Care Secretary, James Murray, said:
When a new medicine is proven to work, patients shouldn’t have to wait.
These pilots are designed to give life-changing treatments to NHS patients faster and more fairly than ever before, while ensuring taxpayers continue to get value for money.
That’s good for patients, good for the NHS, and good for Britain’s place as a world leader in life sciences.
Other pilots agreed by the taskforce include:
- A new approach to account for the productivity benefits of new medicines, such as recognising the value of enabling people who receive treatment to return to work
- A mechanism allowing industry to co-invest in screening, testing and the full care journey of patients, to better enable the NHS to offer innovative therapies at speed and scale as soon as they are recommended by NICE
- Dedicated regional funding to improve patient access to priority medicines, supporting local systems to provide faster and wider uptake of transformative innovations
These initial pilots support the government’s commitment to double innovative medicines spending from 0.3% to 0.6% of GDP over the next decade, as set out in the US-UK pharmaceutical arrangement, to deliver faster, fairer and equitable NHS patient access to cutting-edge therapies.
Pharmaceuticals is a globally competitive industry that creates highly skilled research, manufacturing and commercial jobs across the UK. The Government is committed to building on the country’s strengths in life sciences by backing innovations that deliver significant benefits for patients and wider society supporting both the government’s growth mission and the ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan for England and the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said:
We are in an era of rapid advances in new preventative measures, treatments and even cures. We have a responsibility to get the most important of these into the hands of doctors and patients as quickly as possible. These pilots will help us do exactly that.
Improving outcomes for patients, giving doctors more tools to treat and beat disease, and delivering the innovations that drive our ambition to become the leading life sciences country in Europe – that’s how we’re working to deliver an NHS which is fit for the future.
Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI, said:
The measures announced today are the product of intensive and focused effort between industry and government to ensure NHS patients get the medicines they need. While there is more work to be done, today’s news represents an important step on the path to achieving our shared goal of making the UK a world-leading environment for patient access and life sciences investment.
We have already seen industry respond positively to the Government’s commitment earlier this year to increase investment in innovative medicines. I hope that these delivery measures continue to build investor confidence and enable us to make further progress together.
Dr Scott Purdon, Chair, Charity Medicines Access Coalition (CMAC), said:
Today’s announcement, committing to a series of pilots designed to speed up and improve access to proven and potentially life-changing medicines, is welcome news.
We are especially pleased to see a focus on faster, fairer access to treatments. For people living with life‑threatening or life‑limiting conditions every day matters, delays aren’t just frustrating, they can shorten lives and worsen quality of life.
The inclusion of patient expertise and representation in shaping the pilots is encouraging, showing a system that is starting to listen and act on what matters most: equitable outcomes for patients.
We look forward to working with DHSC and partners to ensure these pilots break down barriers to approval and uptake, and most importantly help people get the treatments they need, when they need them.
Nick Meade, Chief Executive, Genetic Alliance UK, said:
The vast majority of 7,000 rare conditions affecting people in the UK don’t have a cure or treatment. Many of the most serious rare conditions are progressive, and every day people’s conditions are progressing past the point where treatments can be given. Getting treatments into managed access programmes without waiting for a full NICE assessment could mean people get treated months earlier - this time saved has the real potential to save lives.
These pilots could level the playing field for rare condition treatments, overcoming some of the fundamental inequities they face in our current system due to their intrinsic low-evidence bases. We welcome this challenge being addressed and look forward to seeing how this works in practice.