Guidance on joint working

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has published new guidelines on joint working between the pharma industry and the NHS, designed to provide a clear framework for collaborative working and offer greater clarity of what is allowed under the Code of Practice.

The breadth of projects covered by guidance is likely to be of significant scale and duration, and emphasis will be placed on delivering patient benefit using pooled resources.

ABPI member companies, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health helped to develop the guidance along with a number of Royal Colleges and other NHS representatives.

The NHS Confederation, NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) have welcomed the guidance.

"The NHS Alliance welcomes this new ABPI guidance. It is quite right that all parties that undertake joint working – patients, the NHS and the pharmaceutical companies – gain from such endeavour. The proposed benefits to all need to be understood and agreed at the outset," said a spokesman for the NHS Alliance.

"This comprehensive guidance should assist both NHS organisations and pharmaceutical companies to articulate these benefits in a more open and transparent manner. It is helpful that the MHRA and a number of Royal Colleges have been involved during the consultation and are supportive of the guidance."

Commenting on the guidelines, the ABPI said: "This new guidance should give companies reassurance when working with NHS organisations to benefit patient care."

Further information on the guidance can be found in the ABPI guidance notes (pdf).