He hailed the unique opportunities for the UK to lead the world in the new industries of genomics, early diagnosis and digital health.
He said these new industries will have regulatory challenges, but will be critical to the UK continuing to lead in life sciences.
Sir John said the MHRA will have a crucial role in shaping the UK’s life sciences strategy. The MHRA could challenge the status quo in regulation. He said: “Innovation in regulation fundamentally underpins the entire sector and is vital for economic growth. As the largest and most innovative regulator in Europe, the MHRA is crucial to the UK’s strategy.”
The MHRA's Interim Chief Executive, Dr June Raine, said: “This lecture is a landmark in our regulatory evolution with the real potential to help the MHRA shape the UK’s ground-breaking life sciences strategy. With all parts of the life sciences eco-system working together, we can tackle some of the most significant healthcare challenges facing the world today."
She added: “The challenge is to develop an ambitious strategy which builds on the UK’s unique assets of basic science, real world evidence and innovative regulation; a strategy which will enable innovative products to reach patients safely and much more quickly.”
The UK's MHRA is a well-respected and leading life sciences regulator. For the UK to be a leading player in the future in life sciences, it needs to have a forward-thinking regulator.
Through PING (Pharmaceutical Industry Network Group), VWV is holding a conference in 2020 on these areas where the UK is leading the way in life sciences - genomics, personalised medicine and AI.