At an event on the 17th October in London, the ATTC Network collaborated with the Royal Society of Medicine to explore what is still to be done to support the adoption of and routine access to cell and gene therapies in the UK. The day was interspersed with 3 lived experience videos from those directly impacted by these new innovations, who shared their personal stories, keeping us mindful of the reason for being there. There were three main areas of challenge: clinical trials, value and reimbursement, and NHS readiness / future resourcing capacity. As part of the agenda Lord O’Shaughnessy discussed the importance of these therapies in the context of his recent review of UK clinical trials. Expert speakers and panellists presented their perceptions of current successes and barriers in adoption. Workshop groups were tasked with recommending creative and constructive solutions to surmount these barriers, voicing the needs and ideas of the organisations and people they represented.
The outcomes of the workshops and their recommendations will be available in a report to be published in November 2023.
We’ve included here a couple of highlights from the event:
Eric Alton, Professor of Gene Therapy and Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College, London provides a compelling and accessible explanation on the different classes of advanced therapies. Eric’s video presentation The science and promise generating excitement for these innovations also touches on the history of these products, manufacturing scalability and safety.
Ben Doak is a National Senior Programme of Care Manager at NHS England and is responsible for the commissioning of all cell and gene therapies to the NHS. Ben’s slides provide a reflection on commissioning, what happens now within NHS England and its strategy moving forward. Ben collaborates with his counterparts in the devolved nations to ensure synergy when it makes sense, one of the asks from the day was that we do take a more UK wide view when considering these products and planning for the future.
