The NHS is sitting on a gold mine of patient data that could, in the ABPI’s view, help rescue the UK’s faltering commercial clinical trials sector. In a new report, the UK body argues that tapping anonymised health records to find more patients for company-led studies would speed recruitment and help restore Britain’s edge as a global research hub.
Trial numbers still lagging
Industry trials in the UK are starting to pick up again after years of decline, but the number of people taking part has dropped to its lowest level since 2017/18, with just 3.4% of trial participants enrolled in company-sponsored studies, the ABPI says. The organisation blames slow, manual methods for spotting eligible participants, which place extra strain on already stretched staff and often end with patients being turned away at the screening stage because they do not meet the inclusion rules.
Tapping a ‘cradle-to-grave’ data asset
NHS records hold cradle-to-grave health data on some 69 million people and, if used well, could transform this process, according to the association. The ABPI notes that anonymised data are already used in some parts of the country to support recruitment, and says plans for a new Health Data Research Service (HDRS) create a national route to search records and flag likely candidates across the UK.
Under ABPI’s model, central teams would run searches of anonymised NHS data within the HDRS and pass potential matches to local trial sites, which would then check records, confirm eligibility and invite patients to take part. Invitations would go only to people who appear to meet the criteria, reducing late-stage screen failures, cutting cost and saving time once a study opens, the group argues.
“Because of the benefits industry trials bring to patients and the economy, global competition to attract commercial trials is fierce,” said Dr Janet Valentine, Executive Director of Innovation and Research Policy, ABPI. “NHS health data offers the UK a potential leading edge on our competitors by transforming how we find and recruit patients into trials, reducing delays, costs and avoiding wasted effort.”
High stakes for pharma
For the pharmaceutical industry, the ABPI argues that a more predictable, data‑enabled system would de‑risk placing studies in the UK, cut timelines and support more inclusive recruitment, making it more attractive for companies to channel R&D budgets here rather than to rival hubs. In fact, the body estimates that restoring commercial trial activity to 2017 levels could add £3bn to the UK economy, bring in £485m for the NHS and support 26,000 jobs, underlining what it sees as the scale of the prize.
Dr Valentine said the proposed approach, developed with industry, NHS leaders and service providers, “aligns with the government’s priorities for research and use of health data” and could “restore the UK’s reputation for predictable and rapid recruitment into trials, making the UK a far more attractive place for global industry research investment”.
