Manchester to explore new ways of paying for medicines

The UK pharmaceutical industry has struck a unique deal with the health service in Manchester that it says will transform patients' access to medicines. 

A key part of the agreement will allow Greater Manchester authorities to explore new ways of using their £1 billion medicines budget based on patient outcomes. 

Collaborating with the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, which oversees the devolved region's £6bn health and social care budget, the plans also take aim at improving medicine use and safety, and harnessing NHS data. 

Mike Thompson, CEO of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said: "The industry recognises the challenges faced by the NHS and we are committed to supporting improvements in the use of medicines that can enhance the care and wellbeing of people in the area. 

"By working together with the NHS to improve how to use and learn from real time health data in hospitals and communities we have the best chance of creating the most appropriate and cost-effective medicines for patients in Greater Manchester and throughout the UK." 

The ABPI is one of the industry signatories of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. Lining up alongside the ABPI are the Ethical Medicines Industry Group (EMIG) and the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA). 

Along with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Health Innovation Manchester they will create a Greater Manchester and Pharmaceutical Industry Partnership Group, which will be led by chief officer Jon Rouse. 

He said: "Our ambition is to be the safest and most effective place to receive medicines in the world and this unique step will help us on that journey. We want to be able to improve people's health, get the very best value for money from our medicines budget and continue to raise Greater Manchester's profile as a global hub for investment in research and development. 

"The agreement is a first step; there are some important principles we will observe and much still to be done but it shows the power of collaboration we're harnessing in Greater Manchester. When we come together then we can really grasp the opportunities devolution has given us." 

The new group aims to improve the use and safety of medicines and use the unique data and information capabilities of the NHS to discover, develop, and deliver new medicines and treatments for patients. 

The group will also look to build on the success of the Salford Lung Study, a real-world trial sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, and this afternoon representatives from 15 pharma companies will a showcase of Greater Manchester's real-world data evaluation capabilities.