Director of Health and Care Research Wales welcomes new report on value of industry clinical trials to the UK

Our Director, Professor Kieran Walshe, has welcomed a report commissioned by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) this week highlighting the multibillion pound contribution of industry clinical trials to the UK economy.

The report, ‘The value of industry clinical trials to the UK,’ explains how industry investment drives economic growth, jobs, and wider health system benefits. New data shows that industry clinical trials generated £7.4billion gross value added for the UK economy in 2022, while creating 65,000 jobs. The NHS also benefited from £1.2 billion in direct revenue from clinical trials, with 13,000 of the total jobs based in the NHS.

There were also wider non-financial benefits to the NHS from running industry clinical trials. NHS Trusts engaged in research tended to have lower mortality rates, a trend that persisted even after accounting for staffing and facility differences. In addition, NHS trial locations saw shorter hospital stays for patients and improved patient care experiences. Participation in research also raised job satisfaction among clinicians.

However, ABPI argue there is potential for significantly greater benefits. Industry clinical trials have been in decline in the UK in recent years, however if clinical trial activity returned to levels comparable with 2017, an increase of 40 per cent on 2022, the benefits to the UK could be even greater. An extra £3 billion would be contributed to the economy including an additional £486 million of revenue to the NHS. This would support 26,000 more jobs, including 5000 more in the NHS. To deliver on this significant potential, the ABPI is asking the government to further expand patients’ access to industry clinical trials by:

• Bringing the outstanding clinical trials legislation since the UK left the EU, into law. This legislation will give companies certainty on how to operate in the UK.

• Accelerating delivery of the O’Shaughnessy review recommendations and investing at least an additional £60 million per year in workforce capacity and stimulating industry clinical research in primary care, alongside the £300 million that industry will contribute to boosting delivery of trials through the Voluntary scheme for medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme

Professor Kieran Walshe, Director of Health and Care Research Wales said: “The report highlights the importance of working with our industry partners to advance cutting-edge pharmaceutical and technological developments through clinical trials. In Wales, we have a plan to expand our contribution to this vital agenda which will ultimately deliver real benefits to healthcare and patient care, as well as benefiting the economy.”

Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI said: “This report clearly demonstrates the financial and societal benefits that industry clinical trials bring to the economy, the NHS and to R&D in the UK.

“Increasing growth and productivity and improving the health and wellbeing of the UK population are both crucial. Ensuring that the UK is in the best shape to attract more global industry clinical trials will make a major contribution to the government achieving these goals."