Author: Dr Tim Ringrose

There is a big difference between the political positioning of the early access to medicines scheme and the reality; as always, the devil is in the detail.

The move to value-based assessment will force pharma to re-evaluate its marketing tactics in order to justify the

 cost and efficacy of its products.

The UK is one of the few places in the world that has the potential to deliver really exciting opportunities in clinical trials, thanks to its universal National Health Service, and its proposed (but now delayed) care.data system for England, which could offer immense value to researchers.

Convincing cash constrained healthcare payers of the efficacy and value of orphan drugs is a major hurdle that must be overcome if pharma is to capitalise on this market.