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The UK government has announced the launch of a new joint public-private investment programme aimed at accelerating patient access to cutting-edge treatments, enhancing clinical trials, and bolstering the country's medicines manufacturing capabilities. Supported by up to £400 million of investment, the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme is set to inject significant resources into the UK's health and life sciences sector over the next five years. Believed to be the world's first major public-private collaboration of this scale globally, the VPAG Investment Programme is designed to boost economic growth and the global competitiveness of the UK's life sciences sector. It aims to strengthen the NHS by supporting innovative research and creating 18 new clinical trial hubs to fast-track the development of new medicines for patients. The programme will also streamline processes to ensure the rapid transition of new treatments from labs to wards, providing patients with faster access to cutting-edge treatments. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting hailed this private investment as "a significant vote of confidence in the UK" highlighting that it will fast-track the next generation of treatments to NHS patients.

A groundbreaking immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is being trialed in the UK for the first time, with the NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility (CRF) as the lead research site. Developed by German biotech firm BioNTech, the new vaccine, named BNT116, can prime the immune system to recognise and combat cancer cells. Janusz Racz, a 67-year-old lung cancer patient from London, was the first participant to receive this new vaccine. According to Siow Ming Lee, a UCLH consultant medical oncologist who is leading the national study, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with an estimated 1.8 million deaths reported in 2020 "We are now entering this very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials to investigate the treatment of lung cancer," he said. Supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH, the study aims to evaluate the safety and tolerance of the immunotherapy, its efficacy in targeting tumours on its own, and its potential to enhance the effectiveness of established chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatments.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has laid out a series of urgent actions it wants the newly elected Labour government to implement within its first 100 days in office. Among the top priorities, the ABPI has emphasised the urgent need to appoint a new Chair and Chief Executive for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Additionally, the ABPI has urged the new government to launch the Life Sciences Manufacturing Capital Grants Facility without delay. Other measures the ABPI wants Labour to prioritise include: Rapidly passing outstanding UK clinical trials legislation to enhance the UK's attractiveness for inward investment, including into research within the NHS. Increasing commercial flexibility in the NHS England Commercial Framework for New Medicines to remove barriers for companies to launch new medicines and indications so that NHS patients can access the latest innovative medicines.

The Labour Party's election manifesto, unveiled with a focus on bolstering community pharmacy services and enhancing localised healthcare, has sparked responses from key pharmacy bodies across England. A standout pledge within the manifesto is the commitment to establish a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service, aimed at granting more pharmacists independent prescribing rights. This initiative is viewed as pivotal in recognising the clinical capabilities of pharmacists and their potential to alleviate pressures within primary care. Additionally, Labour's plan advocates for broader healthcare access improvements, including enabling opticians to directly refer patients to specialist services and expanding self-referral options where suitable. The manifesto also introduces proposals to trial Neighbourhood Health Centres, designed to consolidate various healthcare services under one roof, such as family doctors, district nurses, and mental health specialists.