Call for changes in UK government funding of health research
There has been growing support voiced this month for the British government\'s plan to combine the research budgets of the primary funding agency of basic biomedical research - the Medical Research Council (MRC) - and the state-run National Health Service (NHS).
There has been growing support voiced this month for the British government's plan to combine the research budgets of the primary funding agency of basic biomedical research - the Medical Research Council (MRC) - and the state-run National Health Service (NHS).
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has said it wants a new board with a budget of up to £1.5bn to be established to co-ordinate government-funded health research work in the UK, Within this body, a strategy board should also be set up to help bridge the gap between basic and clinical science with a budget of some £100m.
Last week, the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences in the UK published a joint report also supporting the plan. The combined fund would be jointly held by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Health.
"We need a system that acknowledges the strength of the work done by the MRC as well as the progress being made with the NHS research and development strategy," said Nigel Brooksby, president of the ABPI.
The ABPI proposes the creation of a Health Research Board with an overview of the total budget for Government's expenditure on health-related life sciences r&d.
This arm's-length agency should comprise key senior representatives from public, private and charitable sectors and be measured on - and accountable for - its performance in strengthening the UK's competitiveness across the whole spectrum of health research, and for the impact of innovation on the quality of care to NHS patients.
The ABPI also wants a Translational Medicine Strategy Board to forge stronger links between basic and clinical science. Part of its role would be to support the creation of tools that can be used by all those involved in medical research - biomarkers, imaging facilities and the expertise and facilities for first-into-man (Phase 1) studies.
In addition, the ABPI says its wants to preserve the bulk of basic biomedical research financed by the MRC, at a level of about £500m. Even greater dialogue and co-operation should take place between the MRC, the other research councils, the pharmaceutical industry, the Wellcome Trust and other research charities to promote key areas of research in which the UK can lead.