Pfizer UK – Written evidence (LSI0022)

Background

Pfizer has had a major presence in the UK for the past 60 years, working to discover, develop and supply medicines to NHS patients. In 2016 we spent £208m on R&D, and participated in over 230 collaborations, from research grants to strategic collaborations and alliances such as the Dementia Platform. As of 1st January 2016 we were carrying out 107 clinical trials in the UK. Pfizer is the biggest supplier of medicines to the NHS, with around 9 million patients in the UK taking a Pfizer medicine every year.

Science and innovation

The principles of HARP and on early discovery in LSIS are totally aligned with the key elements of Pfizer’s early stage R&D strategy. Namely, in the UK Pfizer has been establishing collaborations that harness the best of academia and industry, and looking to obtain insight from key databases to improve understanding of the progression of human disease.

A Pfizer commissioned study by PWC Strategy& found that the UK has a strong academic base, leading edge scientific institutes, an active investment market and the NHS. This creates a vibrant pharmaceutical sector, with high productivity, jobs and economic value (£9.6bn in direct Gross Value Added (GVA) and 71,000 in direct employment). The report found much to celebrate and build on as areas of strength, where the UK is already globally competitive, as well as opportunities to invest for the benefit of NHS patients, the economy and jobs. 

In answer to the inquiry question on how the UK compares to other countries in this sector, for example Germany and the United States, our analysis found that the UK is already globally competitive in academic and leading edge science and workforce and skills, and in-line with other leading countries in fiscal incentives and clinical trials infrastructure. Our report examined and ranked which factors were key to driving investment in UK life sciences. The report findings suggest that after workforce and skills and leading edge science, access to new medicines was the third most important factor when investment decisions were being made by life science companies.

The analysis showed that the UK was lagging significantly behind on access to new medicines, with UK patients are prescribed up to 75% less new medicines (in the first year of launch) than patients in France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the US. It then takes on average almost two years to catch up with the next lowest uptake country.

NHS procurement and collaboration

NHS patients’ access to the latest treatments emerging from UK or worldwide life science research is important to growing the UK Life Sciences sector. As noted above, the Pfizer commissioned study by PWC Strategy& found that UK patients are prescribed up to 75% fewer new medicines (in the first year of launch) than patients in comparable countries. The analysis found that if the UK reduces this 'access gap' not only would patients benefit, but access to the latest medicines could better support growth in life sciences, benefitting UK patients and society. This could add as much as £705m a year to the economy and 4,000 more high value life sciences jobs in the UK.

The recommendations of the Accelerated Access Review are welcomed and we await the Government’s response on how they will implement the findings. However, the impact will be small if the accelerated pathway is limited to only 3 or 4 medicines. The current rate of innovation in new medical technologies such as immunotherapy, personalized medicine and gene therapy mean that many more treatments may not reach NHS patients quickly or at all.

Pfizer commissioned analysis by PWC also found that the NHS’s lack of access to new medicines means that it will increasingly become less attractive for clinical trials as the comparator standard of care might not be of a high enough standard to produce data that is valid for a global clinical trial.

The data recommendations in this section of the LSIS are the most exciting. Pfizer supports the recommendations and believes this section holds the most potential for the UK’s future competitiveness in life sciences, particularly on the collection of Real World Data (RWD). Real World Data could improve access to innovative new medicines by demonstrating value of medicines and pathway changes. However, sufficient funds and swift delivery will be required to make a significant impact.

Skills

Pfizer welcomes the recommendations made to attract more skilled scientists to the UK after Brexit and increase the apprenticeships and other technical training. Pfizer is a significant contributor to the UK apprenticeship levy and as part of the Sector Deal we are exploring opportunities for leveraging more of those funds to develop the skills needed for future UK jobs at Pfizer.

Responsibility and accountability

Government and Industry must work together to translate the ambitions of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy into a clear implementation plan that sends a positive signal that the UK is ‘open for business’ in the light of uncertainties Brexit creates. For the UK life sciences sector to succeed as a world leader in the face of increasing global competition, urgent steps need to be taken to re-energise and transform the relationship between industry and the government. Pfizer wants to work collaboratively with the UK Government to develop an ambitious implementation plan for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, with an independent chair appointed and a clear governance and accountability structure for each strand of the Strategy. This should include a commitment to a streamlined, simplified access process for innovative medicines and a road map to achieving the upper quartile of comparable countries on the uptake of new medicines.

Brexit

Pfizer is currently actively engaged in forward planning to assure full business continuity for any post-Brexit scenario. Business decisions have to be made imminently relating to manufacturing, batch release, and licensing. We are under pressure from the EU authorities telling us to prepare now for a hard Brexit, and given the timelines for making the necessary arrangements and changes, we are most likely to have to make these decisions, and take action, before getting any clarity on the outcome of the Brexit process.

Pfizer is working at many levels across UK, the EU and European Governments, regulators, trade associations and other stakeholders to ensure that the UK’s exit from the European Union causes as little disruption as possible to regulation, trade and supply of medicines both in the UK and across the EU.

The financial and other resources required to deliver this in the timescale available are considerable. While the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is a welcome confirmation from Government of the importance of our sector, it does not mitigate the impact of Brexit on our business. To maintain the global competitiveness of the UK life sciences industry post-Brexit, the Government needs to deliver a Sector Deal to work across industry, NHS and Government that will enable NHS patients across the UK to benefit from access to the best and most innovative treatments, while delivering jobs and investment across all regions of the UK.

14 September 2017