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Policy: Our Manifesto

Boehringer Ingelheim has been transforming lives in healthcare since 1885. We create value through innovation by infusing long-term, sustainable thinking into our Human Pharma, Animal Health and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing businesses. Our research into new medicines is focused on those of areas of science with unmet medical need and where we continue to innovate and lead the science. 

Policy - Our Manifesto

The pharmaceutical sector invests more in R&D than any other private sector in the UK,1 presenting a real opportunity for the sector to deliver growth for the UK economy as well as better human and animal health.   Boehringer has a pipeline of around 90 clinical and pre-clinical projects globally with more than 40 clinical trials across several therapeutic areas underway in the UK, we continue our track record of long-term innovation-led performance. 

For better human and animal health we urge action on:

  • Sustainability in Health: Healthy life expectancy differs by up to two decades between the least and most deprived parts of the country.2,3  We need an equitable and sustainable One Health approach which seeks to balance the health of people, including underserved communities, animals and the environment.   
  • Bringing better health to patients: Industry led clinical trials in the UK fell by 41% per year between 2017 and 2021;4 reversing this trend is one of the best ways to improve healthcare.5 The UK also continues to lag behind comparable European countries for access to new medicines;6 so ensuring cost-effective medicines are available on all local hospital formularies should be a key priority. 
  • Bringing better health to animals: The regulatory environment is integral to the sustainable development of  animal health sectors across the UK. The implementation of The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2024 should maintain access to and delivery of optimal animal health and welfare. 
  • Integrating Cardio Renal Metabolic (CRM) Care: Despite being largely preventable, cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 27% of all deaths in the UK, with coronary heart disease being the UK’s most common cause of premature death.7 CVD is associated with many risk factors, including chronic kidney disease, obesity, hypertension and diabetes.8 To reduce the burden of CRM disease, we need more effective prevention, diagnosis and management of patients with multi-morbidities.
  • Prioritising Mental Health: Mental health problems are common, and more than half a million people have a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia.9 Mental health should have the same priority as physical health, including a holistic approach to the treatment of complex and chronic disease.
  • Valuing Innovation:   The UK spends comparatively less on medicines than similar countries, spending about 9% of its health budget on medicines, compared to 14% in Australia, 15% in France, and 17% in Germany.10 We need as a country to invest more in the NHS across all areas, such as medicines, prevention, and diagnosis.
  • Protecting Global Health Security: Antibiotic use is the main driver of antimicrobial resistance. In the UK antibiotic use has decreased by 51% in animals and 18% in humans between 2014 and 2019.11 Government needs to support a preventative approach to both animal and human health, with vaccination being integral, to help reduce the pressure on antimicrobials and control antimicrobial resistance.

  

  1. Research and development spending: Pharmaceuticals - House of Lords Library (parliament.uk) September 2022; last accessed May 2024
  2. Map of healthy life expectancy at birth - The Health Foundation January 2022, last accessed May 2024
  3. What are health inequalities? | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk) June 2022, last accessed May 2024
  4. Rescuing patient access to industry clinical trials in the UK (abpi.org.uk) October 2022, last accessed May 2024
  5. What we’re doing to speed up clinical trials in the UK – Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre (blog.gov.uk) November 2023, last accessed May 2024
  6. Life sciences competitiveness indicators 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) July 2023, last accessed May 2024
  7. BHF UK CVD Factsheet January 2024, last accessed May 2024
  8. Risk factors for CVD | Background information | CVD risk assessment and management | CKS | NICE May 2023, last accessed May 2024
  9. Wellbeing and mental health: Applying All Our Health - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) February 2022, last accessed May 2024
  10. King’s Fund: How does the NHS compare to the health systems of other countries? June 2023, last accessed May 2024
  11. UK One Health Report - Joint report on antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance, 2013–2017 (publishing.service.gov.uk) November 2023, last accessed May 2024

 

NP-GB-104598     May 2024