Today the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published it's new strategy, outlining the organisation's key priorities up until 2030.
Welcoming the new strategy our Chief Executive, Matt Westmore, said:
Matt Westmore, Chief Executive"One of the real strengths of the health research ecosystem in the UK is the close working relationships between regulators.
"We are proud to work alongside the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to deliver a world-class regulatory system across the UK.
"The MHRA's new strategy outlines an ambitious plan to reshape regulation for a new era, and the HRA will play a key role in helping to deliver that ambition.
"We welcome the identified key areas of focus, which align with the HRA's own strategic objectives.
"If we are to realise the ambition for more people to feel confident to take part in health and social care research, trust is key. To earn that trust research needs to be carried out transparently, involve patients in decision making and ensure that participants reflect the diversity of the people accessing medicines or treatment.
“We know that research that involves members of the public at every stage, from design right through to delivery, improves the quality of the research. We will work alongside the MHRA to ensure that the people research is for and about, can be included in research.
"Underpinning each of these areas is a commitment to collaborative working.
"In the past 12 months alone the MHRA and HRA have delivered the largest overhaul of clinical trials legislation for a generation. The updated regulations further protect trial participants, strengthen patient safety and will help accelerate approvals by reducing unnecessary burdens on researchers.
“Alongside reforms to clinical trials legislation the HRA, MHRA and IRAS Partners have been working to transform the digital end-to-end journey for research in the UK. This transformation will ensure that HRA and MHRA processes are aligned and improve the user journey from application right through to patient enrolment.
"We already know what we can achieve when we work closely together. Since launching in 2022, more than 3,000 studies have been reviewed under Combined Review, with times for REC review decreasing by more than 50% from an average of 60 days in 2021 to 29 days in 2025.
"None of that would be possible without both organisations being aligned in our vision to deliver a fast, predictable and proportionate regulatory pathway across the UK that people can trust."