The UK government has introduced a new bill that aims to expand the NHS’ access to personalised medicines for cancers and other.
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Following the UK’s departure from the EU, the government’s ‘Medicines and Medical Devices Bill’ was put before Parliament to update regulatory guidance for medicines and medical devices.
The biggest change to come from the bill is the reveal that NHS hospitals will be able to use personalised medicines, based off of patient tissue and DNA samples, when other treatments have failed. Hospitals will also be able to use and develop drugs that have a shelf life of minutes and would otherwise be unavailable to them.
In particular, patients with rare cancers and brain tumours are thought to benefit the most from the change, through more streamlined access to treatments.
Healthcare professionals will also be able to prescribe a wider range of medicines in low-risk circumstances – as is currently done by midwives and paramedics with pain relief and anti-inflammatories.
The increased range of medicines will be placed under limitations, with the government and NHS working together to determine which medicines will be eligible.
The government also aims for the bill to ensure medical devices are subject to high levels of regulation, whilst also allowing regulators to respond to changes in technology or patient safety as quickly as possible.
Where there are serious patient concerns regarding medical devices, the health and social care secretary Matt Hancock will be able to disclose information about specific devices to the public.
Health minister Baroness Blackwood said: “I am determined to help everyone who uses our world-leading NHS to access pioneering, cutting-edge treatments as soon as possible. The new bill will give our most treasured institution further freedom to innovate to improve the lives of countless people and protect patient safety to the highest standards. It will slash red tape, support uptake of treatments for people with rare diseases and empower those in the NHS who know what’s best for their patients to deliver the best quality care.”