The Government's response to the Accelerated Access Review (AAR) was published in a bid to dramatically speed up the time it takes for patients to benefit from ground-breaking treatments for conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes.

​The Government's announcement follows last year's final report from the indep​endently-chaired AAR, the aim of the Review was to make the U.K. “the fastest place in the world for the design, development and widespread adoption of medical innovations and stimulate new investment, jobs and economic growth to support the NHS."

In its response, the Government announced Sir Andrew Witty, former Chief Executive of GlaxoSmithKline, will lead the Accelerated Access Collaborative that will make decisions on which products should be granted access to the Accelerated Access Pathway.​

It also confirmed £86 million government funding to support innovators and the NHS in overcoming barriers to getting new, innovative technologies to patients quickly, in addition to improved NHS England commercial capacity and capability to deliver deals that achieve better value for the NHS and innovators​.

Commenting on the news, Dr. Richard Torbett, Executive Director of Commercial Policy at The ABPI, said: "The Government’s commitment to speeding up access to the most innovative medicines and treatments is very much welcome.

This should benefit thousands of NHS patients as well as delivering significant long-term savings for the health service if appropriate investment in these transformative therapies is made available.

Over the next decade, breakthrough personalized therapies have the potential to transform treatment for many diseases, from cancers to diabetes to dementia. It is incumbent on everyone to tear down the barriers which have prevented access to medical progress of this kind.

Sir Andrew Witty’s extensive pharmaceutical industry leadership and experience will be vital in helping to deliver a system which prioritizes patient access to transformative treatments. We are confident that the promise of making ground-breaking, cost-effective healthcare available for everyone, as quickly as possible, can be delivered through partnership with our industry, Government and the NHS."