Largest ever UK health research programme to benefit from Novartis’ multi-million pound investment

·       Novartis supports Our Future Heath, the UK’s largest ever health research programme, with £12.5 million investment

·       The funding will help Our Future Heath fulfil its ambitions of enabling the discovery and testing of more effective approaches to prevention, earlier detection and treatment of diseases

·       The announcement comes as industry and scientific leaders call for whole system reform to ensure UK patients can benefit from groundbreaking UK research

London, April 03 2024 – A large-scale mission to improve understanding of major health conditions affecting people is set to benefit from a major funding injection by Novartis.

Our Future Health is recruiting five million people to share their experience of conditions including Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease, to increase scientific knowledge and improve treatments.

Novartis is the first in a new round of industry members joining Our Future Health. In addition to investment into research, members will collaborate with academics, industry and other health organisations to enhance scientific understanding of the biggest health challenges facing society.

The confirmed expansion of Our Future Health by Novartis follows an announcement from the UK Government of investment in life sciences as part of the recent Spring Budget.

While additional manufacturing capability in the sector was welcomed as important progress, there have been longstanding concerns across industry about the government’s commitment to life sciences and the challenges of securing fast patient access to the latest new medicines.

According to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), for every 100 patients that get a new medicine in its first year of launch in the European Union, including France and Germany, just 21 patients in the UK will get access^[i]. Additionally, research by the King’s Fund in 2023 reported that the UK ‘performs substantially less well than its peers on many measures of health status and health care outcomes’^[ii].

Novartis has now called on the government to consider new approaches to engagement with the UK healthcare system; with a strong emphasis on addressing some of the hurdles that mean UK patients are unable to access some of the outputs of UK clinical research, compared to other countries.

Professor Sir John Bell, chair of Our Future Health, said:

“Tackling the biggest causes of disease requires joint action from across society, and so we’re delighted to welcome Novartis as an Our Future Health Industry Partner. Combining our shared expertise and knowledge, alongside strategic investment and engagement in the life sciences, will help the UK become a world-leader in the early detection, prevention and treatment of diseases.”

Raghib Ali, OBE, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health, said:

“Our Future Health has been established to help people live longer, healthier lives through research into new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease. Collaboration and support from Novartis will help us to achieve that mission.  We’re very grateful for all the engagement and support we have received from multiple sectors, including the life sciences industry, the NHS and medical charities which will ultimately enable patients to benefit from our groundbreaking research.”

Gerrit Zijlstra, Country Medical Head and Chief Medical Officer for Novartis UK and Ireland, said:

“Partnering with Our Future Health, the UK’s largest ever health research programme, allows us to bring our expertise and knowledge into a world-leading scientific resource. To ensure the success of future research programmes, Novartis will continue to champion the case for improvements to the Government’s approach to life sciences. Whilst we welcome the recent positive investment announcements from the UK Government, strong words need to be translated to clear and sustained action to make the progress that’s needed for UK patients to benefit most.”

Fiona Marshall, President, Biomedical Research at Novartis, said:

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Our Future Health and working with them to achieve our global research ambitions for the benefit of patients worldwide. This announcement, alongside our recently announced partnership with Isomorphic Labs, reflects our ongoing commitment to world-class and pioneering science to address the biggest clinical and public health challenges in the UK and beyond.”

Building on confirmation of the new partnership, Novartis and Our Future Health have reaffirmed their mutual commitments to delivering positive impactful change for patients in the future.

About Novartis

Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease.

In the UK, we champion health and lives through pioneering NHS partnerships, innovative collaborations and a clear focus on the greatest healthcare challenges we all face. We are where science meets hope.

To reimagine medicine with us, visit our website at https://www.novartis.com/uk-en/ and connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram

[i]  The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Company (2023). Improving access to medicines in the UK. Available at: https://www.abpi.org.uk/value-and-access/uk-medicine-pricing/improving-access-to-medicines-in-the-uk/ Accessed: 28 March 2024

[ii] The King’s Fund (2023). How does the NHS compare to the health care systems of other countries. Available at: https://assets.kingsfund.org.uk/f/256914/x/7cdf5ad1de/how_nhs_compares_other_countries_abpi_2023.pdf Accessed: 28 March 2024