OREANDA-NEWS. The UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today publish a report following their fifth joint annual conference, Pathway of Innovation from Research to Patients, held on 11 June at the Wellcome Trust.

The event, which was attended by over 140 delegates from patients’ groups, MHRA, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, the life science industry, the Wellcome Trust, the Jenner Institute, academic institutions and clinical trial units, showcased the collaborative approaches between stakeholders to support innovation and to facilitate clinical development and timely access to new treatments and vaccines for patients.

Key topics of discussion included the value of a patient-centered approach in informing and accelerating drug development and lessons learnt from the unprecedented response to the recent Ebola epidemic. Establishing a patient-centred system for drug development requires a co-ordinated effort, which the UK is well placed to achieve with strong patients’ groups becoming increasingly involved in regulatory processes, health technology assessments and commissioning decisions.

The newly published report provides an overview of key discussions from the conference and a resulting set of recommendations.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Steve Bates, BIA CEO, said:

Following another successful joint conference with the MHRA, the publication of our first report from the event will provide a great lasting resource for SMEs, increasing awareness of the potential impact that patient engagement could have on regulatory pathways.

Dr Christiane Abouzeid, Head of Regulatory Affairs, BIA, commented:

The annual BIA/MHRA conference provides an excellent opportunity for the exchanging of expertise between regulators and industry, now extended through the publication of our joint report.

Dr Siu Ping Lam, Director, Licensing Division, MHRA, said:

This was a hugely productive conference. It is increasingly recognised that patients have a key role to play in regulatory decisions. This goes to the heart of MHRA’s mission of encouraging, supporting and enabling innovation”.

We will continue to use our scientific and regulatory expertise to advise industry and make drug development programmes as efficient as possible, facilitating safe and timely patient access.