A new project between the NHS, the medicines regulator and the off-patent pharmaceutical industry has been launched, aiming to solve shortages of specific critical treatments by fast-tracking dormant MHRA-approved licences and guaranteeing NHS purchasing.
Project Revive brings together NHS England, the MHRA and Medicines UK, the trade body representing the generic and biosimilar manufacturers that supply 85% of NHS prescriptions.
The programme has identified a pilot list of 378 medicines that have either failed to attract sufficient supply through NHS England tenders or which the health service believes are supply resilience risk and represent a strategic priority.
The list includes products of critical priority and the ambition is to target those medicines representing the most serious risk to supply resilience, which could lead to shortages affecting patient care.
Treatment areas for the initial list of medicines identified include complex cancers, thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and schizophrenia.
A new joined‑up pathway will be created to encourage manufacturers to revive dormant licences for these medicines. These products will benefit from prioritised MHRA regulatory support, including early engagement meetings.
In parallel, NHS England will establish a dedicated buying framework outside standard procurement routes, offering clarity on volumes, prices and purchasing arrangements.
This coordinated approach is designed to incentivise manufacturers to supply medicines that may previously have been considered commercially unviable despite their clinical importance.
The ambition is for the pathway to be delivering results by this time next year.
The concept was first outlined in the Government’s policy paper on managing a robust and resilient supply of medicines, which was published in July last year.
Fiona Bride, NHS England's interim Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Medicines Value and Access, said: "Project Revive brings together NHS England’s commercial expertise, MHRA regulatory leadership and industry capabilities, to create a clear pathway for companies to bring important patient treatments back into the NHS supply chain."
"Ensuring a resilient and stable supply of medicines is fundamental to delivering patient care, with pharmaceuticals being the most common healthcare intervention in the NHS and this collaborative pilot initiative aims to strengthen that supply chain by incentivising more companies to become NHS suppliers, or deepen existing partnerships."
Mark Samuels, Chief Executive of Medicines UK, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver real patient benefit through collaboration between the NHS and manufacturers. It is a tangible example of a partnership approach that will help mitigate the impact of shortages of critically important medicines."
"We have long stated that medicine shortages cannot be solved in isolation and this project shows what can be achieved by working together. By working with NHS England and MHRA, we hope that this new model provides more certainty to enable companies to produce and supply medicines for use in the NHS."
Julian Beach, Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access at the MHRA, said: "The MHRA is pleased to be part of this important collaboration to help ensure patients have access to the medicines they need."
"Through Project Revive, we are committed to providing regulatory advice within four weeks of request and ensuring timely assessment of any changes needed to bring these unmarketed medicines back into active use."
"By working with Medicines UK and NHS England, we can strengthen the UK’s medicine supply resilience and ensure there’s a clear pathway to help get these treatments to patients."
If this initial partnership is a success in reviving and broadening the number of licences for a range of critical medicines, then the ambition is to see how this approach can be scaled up.
The pilot will run for a 12-month period and assess the success of resource-intensive targeted interventions. A decision about the long-term programme would be made in early 2027.