The UK is slower than other European countries at getting approved medicines to patients, which means people here wait longer for new treatments.
Between 2019 and 2022, 56% of new medicines were made available to patients in England and 54% were made available in Scotland. This has declined compared to the past period for both nations.
Source: Office for Life Sciences (OLS) Life sciences competitiveness indicators (2024)
We’re working to change that
New medicines are constantly being researched and developed with the goal of improving health outcomes – but right now the UK is slower than many similar countries in getting them to patients, and we believe it can do better.
UK patients continue to miss out on the best standard of care, with the UK among the lowest users of new medicines in the developed world. This contributes to UK health outcomes continuing to fall behind, with research on preventable and treatable causes of death showing the UK is 16th and 18th respectively out of 19 comparable countries.
These issues are contributing significantly to a shrinking labour force and stalling productivity; ill health among working age people is costing the UK £43 billion annually.
A sustained approach to support equitable and early use of NICE-approved medicines will improve health outcomes, reduce disease progression, address NHS capacity challenges, and drive improvements in UK productivity and economic output.
Key to this are strong partnerships between the NHS, industry and patient organisations. These deliver a ‘triple win’ of improved patient outcomes, more efficient use of NHS resources and evidence of impact for industry. Explore examples of how cross-sector partnerships are supporting delivery of NHS priorities in our Partnership Case Studies Library.
Equally important is understanding what really matters to patients, their families, and their communities. The ABPI’s work with both our Patient Advisory Council and Patient Organisation Forum ensures the value that pharmaceutical companies bring to health systems through medicine and vaccine innovations is better shaped and informed by the insight and experience of patients living with a condition.
