Pharma industry urges healthcare investment

Launching its 2017 election manifesto, the trade association urged the incoming government to bring healthcare investment into line with the G7 average of 11.3 per cent of GDP. The UK currently has the sixth lowest proportional spend of the G7 nations at just 9.9 per cent, with only Italy investing less.

The ABPI, which represents over 120 pharmaceutical companies in the UK, also wants the next government to improve patient access to medicines and vaccines, pushing the UK into the top 25 per cent of OECD countries by 2022. According to the organisation, patients in France and Germany are around five times more likely to receive a new medicine in the year it is released than patients in the UK.

“This general election comes at a critical juncture,” said Lisa Anson, UK president of pharma giant AstraZeneca and the new president of the ABPI. “Do we want to improve NHS patient outcomes and ensure Britain continues to be a global player in life sciences, or run the risk of the UK becoming a desert for healthcare innovation?”