17th October 2019 by Anna Tzani
What are the most recent regulatory updates in the pharma industry? To what extend do innovative medicines and novel therapeutic approaches comply with the ethics code and current UK regulations?
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) hosted yesterday the event ‘’The ethics and regulation of innovation’’ to present the next generation of treatments, the current challenges in the Life Sciences sector, and answer regulatory-related questions.
Top-tier speakers, with versatile expertise around pharmacovigilance, bioethics and health policies stepped on the stage and demonstrated ways to improve the UK market for the research, development and manufacturing of medicines. They introduced the ethical, professional and transparent manner that should be followed by the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to support the provision of high-quality healthcare.
Our medDigital team, as general affiliate member of the ABPI, was there to be informed about the new developments and contribute to the next directions. We discussed with several colleagues across the pharmaceutical industry, from regulatory and legal, to medical roles, about the current advances and the future of medicines.
Our founder, Dr Felix Jackson, shared his perspective on evolving healthcare with digital through medCrowd, the instant messenger for health and care. medCrowd provides a digital space for HCPs to offer expert insights and efficiently support the pharma industry.
The key highlights from each session of the event were:
• Legal: Medical development is changing as medicines become more complex and research focuses on targeting rare diseases and on precision medicine. This session focused on how to support the development of a healthy life sciences industry and what the current challenges in the UK market are.
• Regulatory: There is a large amount of legislation in place in the UK and Europe to ensure that a new medicine is as effective and safe to use as possible. During this session the regulatory framework for advanced therapy medicinal products was presented., Attendees also discussed ways to achieve better clinical trial transparency and enhance the UK clinical research environment, aiming to respond to both patient demand and the rapid pace of scientific change.
• Ethics: The ABPI Code of Practice extends beyond the extensive laws and regulations which govern the pharmaceutical industry. The target of this session was to ensure that all of the operations are conducted professionally, with integrity and respect for the patients. The Regulatory Agency of Medicines and Healthcare products illustrated how regulation should support delivery of innovative therapies to patients to address unmet needs.
To deliver the medicines of tomorrow, it is crucial that everyone involved in medicine development work together. Thanks to the ABPI, we had the opportunity to be involved in this effort. What did you think of it?