Fight for Sight response to the Accelerated Access Review

Fight for Sight notes the announcement today that the government endorses the vision for patient outcomes and the UK life sciences sector set out in the Accelerated Access Review (AAR). The AAR made a series of recommendations that Fight for Sight fully supported particularly with regard to accelerating treatments to patients by streamlining very complex routes to market.

With a pipeline of potential sight saving treatments in development it is crucial that the UK can put in place a system of evaluation and approvals that enables patients with both common and rare eye diseases and conditions to benefit from developments as quickly as possible.

We note also the government’s intention to introduce an Accelerated Access Pathway (AAP) in April 2018 as a new route to market for innovations that will be transformative for patients. The government has stated that it expects around 5 products a year will go onto this new pathway. These could include medicines, medical technologies, diagnostics and digital products, including repurposed medicines where a new indication is found for an existing product.

The government’s response to the AAR is a step forward, but we await the Government’s proposed response to the recommendations set out in the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy (the Sector Deal), expected later this year.

Michele Acton, CEO of Fight for Sight, said: “We welcome the ambition of the government that patients in the UK should be among the first in the world to get life-changing treatments. This will only happen through many parties in different sectors working together. We at Fight for Sight look forward to collaborating with others to ensure the results of eye research are delivered to those at risk of or living with sight loss sooner rather than later.”

Related news: Fight for Sight welcomes the Life Sciences Strategy