UK govt and ABPI agree experience sharing rules

The UK's Minister of State for Public Health, Dawn Primarolo, has announced new guidance from the Department of Health to National Health Service Primary Care Trusts to encourage joint action with the drug industry for the improvement of patient care. The move comes as there is greater recognition by the public sector that drugmakers have developed experience in certain diseases which can be used by clinicians to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Already, the East Lincolnshire PCT has formed an alliance with three pharmaceutical companies to improve the identification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, provide specialist training in patient management and establish specific COPD clinics. The NHS unit claimed a 23% reduction in emergency hospital admissions for the condition versus a less than 10% drop in neighboring PCT areas. Over a third of patients (78 from 215) in the pilot scheme experienced acute COPD episodes that were managed at home with only one requiring a hospital admission.

Ms Primarolo said: "we know that joint working between the NHS and [the] pharmaceutical industry can bring real benefits to patients so we want the NHS to work with them more to improve patient care."