Finalist
Confronting the Access Challenge of Combination Treatments, a Pan-life Science Community Collaborative
Summary of work
Combination treatments (CTs) have the potential to deliver significant clinical benefits to people with complex diseases and are becoming increasingly common and critical to improving patient outcomes. However, despite their potential clinical benefit, availability remains a challenge. An issue that has remained in the ‘too hard to fix’ box for too long.
In 2021, only 46% of licensed CTs were routinely available to patients in England on the NHS. Compared to 56% in 2019. It can be devastating for patients to know that treatments are available in other countries but they themselves cannot access them.
Takeda, in collaboration with patient, clinical, academic, and legal communities, and with input from NICE and NHS England, has spent five years looking for an implementable solution to this complex challenge. It set up a multi-disciplinary Advisory Group that developed two Whitepapers setting out a proposed solution to improve access to CTs. The launch of the Whitepapers was accompanied by a multi-modal stakeholder engagement and advocacy development plan.
Takeda is leading within the pharmaceutical industry with the first, comprehensive proposed solution to address this issue; this has only been possible due to the intricate multi-stakeholder collaboration at every stage of the development process.
Judges’ comments
Confronting the Access Challenge of Combination Treatments covered an internationally recognised problem. It had very bold objectives, good excution, with strong industry engagement. A great in depth partnership and the judges look forward to seeing this project develop.
