Daniel Zeichner MP
Chair, APPG for Life Sciences
Becky Rice
Health Policy Manager, Policy Connect
Health innovation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. New treatments, such as cell and gene therapies, have the potential to transform the management of diseases that are currently incurable.
Cell and gene therapies use the body’s own cells or genes to target the cause of disease. Diseased cells from the patient are modified in a laboratory and transplanted back into the patient in minimal, short, non-invasive treatments. These therapies have the potential to treat and cure a wide variety of diseases from cancer to arthritis.
The UK is home to world-leading research and manufacturing capabilities for cell and gene therapies. Researchers across the country conduct an outsized proportion of global clinical trials in these treatments. This is in part due to widespread investment in initiatives to increase research, manufacture and uptake.
Creating policy that supports industry, regulators and the NHS workforce can make cell and gene therapies more accessible, giving more patients the option of these life-saving treatments.
Embedding cell and gene therapy in the NHS
However, there is much more to be done to embed cell and gene and other innovative therapies as a first-line treatment choice for the NHS.
The personalised nature and complexity of these treatments mean that they are at present very expensive and create challenges for regulators. As the use of personalised medicine increases, the way we assess medicines must also adapt, considering real-world evidence alongside clinical trials.
Policymaking for the future of health
For the UK to develop its place as a leader in cell and gene therapy and prepare the NHS for these innovative treatments, policymakers must be aware of the treatments and challenges ahead. A recent Policy Connect survey of 100 MPs found that only 15% have a good understanding of cell and gene therapy and 68% knew nothing at all.
Creating policy that supports industry, regulators and the NHS workforce can make cell and gene therapies more accessible, giving more patients the option of these life-saving treatments.
We stand on the brink of a revolution in health care. We must use the recovery from COVID-19 and subsequent changes to the health service to prepare for the future.