Medicine: Experimental Drugs

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Monday 10th June 2013 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, I agree with my noble friend, and it is one of the reasons why the NHS constitution contains a pledge to inform patients of research studies in which they may be eligible to participate if there is a promising new medicine in the pipeline.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff]

My Lords, in light of the proposed EU directive that is being led by MEP Glenis Willmott to facilitate clinical trials and the work done by Empower: Access to Medicine, led by Les Halpin, are the Government working with the Halpin protocol, which aims to overcome the legal barriers—real or perceived—to early access to, and development of, medicine in the UK?

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is at the forefront of the negotiations at European level to ensure that the new clinical trials regulation, which will replace the current directive, is much more conducive to companies directing their clinical trials towards Europe, in particular, we hope, the United Kingdom. This needs to happen. The trend over the past 10 years has been in the wrong direction and we want our own market share to increase; there are already signs that it is doing so.