A shared vision for Northern Ireland

Marion Laverty, ABPI’s Head of Public Affairs Northern Ireland, looks ahead to the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly elections and highlights the importance of making Northern Ireland a beacon for access to health innovations.

As Northern Ireland looks ahead to the 2027 elections, we have a profound opportunity to shape a healthcare system that does not merely treat illness as an inevitable cost but invests in innovation as an active catalyst for better lives and economic prosperity. The ABPI has one clear ask of the next Northern Ireland government – to make Northern Ireland a beacon for access to health innovations. Read the ABPI’s vision for health and growth in Northern Ireland here.

For too long, conversation surrounding innovative medicines and healthcare investments has focused on immediate expense rather than long-term value. When access to new treatments is delayed or disjointed, the human impact is real: lost quality of life, extended hospital stays, and preventable economic inactivity for patients and caregivers alike.

Investing in timely, equitable access to medicines transforms lives. When people regain and maintain their health, they return to work, stay economically active, support their loved ones, and thrive in their communities.

Northern Ireland has recognised the challenges it faces in providing access to medicines and ensuring system readiness through a detailed review. Embedding the recommendations of this review will be critical to ensuring change happens. The aim must be a system that is proactive, not reactive, and that adopts new medicines and technologies swiftly.

Clinical research can seem out of reach to patients. Something that happens deep in laboratories. In reality, participating in trials can offer early access to cutting-edge therapies and the chance to be part of work that transforms future treatments.

By championing clinical trials across our Trusts and in primary care, we can offer patients access to next-generation treatments years earlier, while giving healthcare professionals the opportunity to lead scientific breakthroughs right here in Northern Ireland. This sends a clear signal to industry that Northern Ireland is a place committed to health research. Industry clinical trials not only offer access to innovative treatments; they also raise revenue, allowing reinvestment in Health and Social Care (HSC) and helping offset costs.

Northern Ireland possesses unique cradle-to-grave health datasets that hold tremendous promise for understanding disease, diagnosing conditions earlier, and personalising care. Yet, data sitting in silos does not help anyone. By developing a trusted, secure access framework – such as the Northern Ireland Trusted Research Environment (NITRE) – we can maintain the highest ethical standards while collaborating with industry partners to extract life-saving insights. When handled with transparency and care, data can guide clinicians toward faster, more effective interventions.

No single organisation can tackle these challenges alone. Real progress happens when government, the health service, academia, and the pharmaceutical sector work together in genuine partnership. Northern Ireland already reaps the rewards of collaboration through initiatives in multiple areas such as cancer, diabetes, respiratory, and cardiovascular. By embedding these partnerships into everyday practice, we foster a culture where innovation becomes frictionless and above all serves patient needs directly.

When we talk about health policy, election manifestos, and economic strategies, it is easy to get lost in figures, acronyms, and funding mechanisms. But behind every statistic sits a person – a parent managing a chronic illness, a clinician striving to offer the best care possible, or a family waiting for answers. As we approach 2027, Northern Ireland’s leaders face a clear choice. We can continue to manage pressure reactively, or we can build a forward-looking health system that champions innovation, research, and data.

By making Northern Ireland a beacon for patient access, we are not just strengthening our health service and economy – we are investing in the health, dignity, and future of every person who calls Northern Ireland home.