The UK’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) have established a new “Regulatory Innovation Corridor” to speed up patient access to innovative healthcare solutions. Companies will be able to work with both regulators at the same time through a fast-track process, which will allow for early regulatory guidance, enhanced design of clinical studies if needed, and less duplication and delays.
The corridor focuses on high-impact diseases such as cancer, dementia, obesity, rare diseases, advanced diagnostics, and digital health, and adheres to safety and regulatory requirements. Additionally, this initiative aims to promote the UK and Singapore as leading investment hubs in life sciences.
Flagship Pioneering, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based life sciences innovation company that builds breakthrough companies, will be the first organization to join, assisting with pilot testing and developing this framework before making it available to other companies. As a testament to global collaborations, this project is a continuation of a two-decade-long partnership between the UK and Singapore. Their health strategies include England’s 10-Year Health Plan and the Singaporean initiative, ‘Healthier SG.’ The initiative also supports other regulatory innovation efforts, such as collaborations on AI in healthcare through the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network, to complement other programs offered by the MHRA and HSA.
Written by: Ames Gross – President and Founder, Pacific Bridge Medical (PBM)
Mr. Gross founded PBM in 1988 and has helped hundreds of medical companies with regulatory and business development issues in Asia. He is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the Asian medical markets. Mr. Gross has a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University.