Our Manifesto for Scotland

As we look ahead to the Scottish Parliament Elections on the 6 May 2021, ABPI Scotland Director, Alison Culpan, reflects on the past year and what the next Scottish Parliament should do to improve Scotland’s health and economy.

During the crisis, the pharmaceutical industry has prioritised the supply of critical medicines to patients whilst devoting time and resources to discovering the vaccines and treatments to end the pandemic.

And whilst much has changed, the need for the Scottish Government to deliver for public health and the economy has not. As a result, the ABPI is calling on the next Scottish Government to prioritise the following four areas as part of our industry manifesto:

1. Invest in innovative medicine as a central part of their healthcare agenda.
2. Build our economic recovery around life sciences.
3. Deliver a data-driven healthcare service to attract investment and improve care.
4. Support Scottish medicines and vaccines R&D.

These actions, when taken together, have the power to transform care, attract investment and ensure the NHS is fit for the 21^st century.

The importance of a thriving life sciences sector is clear, and we believe that the next government should build our economic recovery around our industry and empower growth through increased collaboration and the speedy return of clinical trials.

And finally, linking all of this together is data. During the pandemic, data and digital solutions have provided vital learnings for the NHS. In helping plan patient treatment pathways, speed-up clinical research and beam consultations into patient living rooms, digital solutions have been at the heart of NHS pandemic thinking.

For industry, the ability to access and analyse large data sets will transform R&D and patient access to medicine. Standardised access to large datasets will put Scotland at the front of the queue when it comes to the development, and use, of next-generation medicine.    

These actions, when taken together, provide the blueprint for Scotland to transform its collective health and wealth and we hope the next Scottish Government agrees.