Lord Darzi appointed to improve access to innovation

Former Health Minister Lord Ara Darzi has been appointed as chair of the Accelerated Access Collaborative, a body to speed up patient access to ground-breaking technologies and treatments.

The Accelerated Access Collaborative brings together leaders from the NHS, industry and government to identify the most transformative medical innovations, and will oversee a fast-track route to allow these innovative technologies to be available on the NHS up to four years earlier.

Building on an £86 million funding package to help innovators of all sizes gain access to the NHS market and get their products to patients, the Accelerated Access Pathway, launching later this year, will see a number of the most promising products accelerated through the clinical development and NHS approval processes to treat conditions such as cancer, diabetes and dementia.

Darzi said: “Britain is world leading in medical science and research, but we need to make sure that people in the UK are able to reap the benefits of this innovation. It is vitally important that patients have rapid access to cost-effective, transformative treatments on the NHS. Doing so will not only improve the health of our patients, but will promote future collaboration between the life sciences sector and the NHS post-Brexit – benefiting the British economy and creating jobs. I’m thrilled to be building on the great foundations laid by Sir Andrew Witty for the AAC to deliver this.”