Bringing new pharmaceuticals and HealthTech to market in the UK means more than clearing regulatory hurdles – it means navigating the complex, decentralised web of local NHS systems, commissioners and regional priorities. The NHS is not one system but could be articulated as a shoal of fish.
The local access reality in the UK
Although the NHS is a national system, market access is increasingly local in nature:
- Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) control much of the budget across England, creating variability in how and when innovations are adopted
- Devolved healthcare systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have distinct pathways, value frameworks and data needs
- Trust-level procurement remains vital, particularly for HealthTech, where local clinical champions and procurement teams drive adoption
- Formulary inclusion and budget impact discussions often happen regionally, with ICBs or Health Boards evaluating cost and outcomes through a local lens
- Pathway implementation is based on local service set-up.
The traditional ‘top-down’ approach to market access no longer guarantees adoption success. Companies must now build regionally tailored cases, prove cost-effectiveness locally, and engage multiple layers of stakeholders – simultaneously.
A new era of ‘precision’ UK market access
The UK’s health system is evolving rapidly. With the recent announcement on the abolition of NHS England and the variation in local regions, market access is not a one-size-fits-all process. With the new government laying out the ‘three shifts’ for the health system – from analogue to digital; from hospitals to community; from treating sickness to prevention – a new life sciences strategy on the horizon and continued uncertainty around VPAG, there is even more of a need for granular local planning.
Introducing DCODE
DCODE (Disease Cost Outcomes Data Environment) is a tool, purpose-built to inform your market access strategy and enhance the smoother adoption of your product in the UK.
DCODE combines over 30 years of our lived experience in reimbursement and market access. Through a series of insight-led questioning and a unique weighted scoring system, it provides a quick assessment of products that are pre-launch or already on market but experiencing local access challenges. A DCODE product assessment will give you the insights required to define challenges and barriers and plan the necessary strategies and tactics to overcome them.
Why use DCODE?
DCODE is specifically designed for the UK access environment and is an efficient method to bring you alignment and consistency, and identify gaps in your UK market access approach. This can support prioritisation within your own business pipeline, enabling benchmarking and productivity across different products within a portfolio. It also has the added benefit of aligning cross-functional teams such as commercial, medical affairs, regulatory and HEOR teams around a common value narrative with payers.
DCODE is built for local access in a complex and fragmented UK health system. By focusing on regional relevance, real-world evidence and practical outcomes, it enables life sciences companies to:
- Build smarter business cases
- Target resources more effectively and efficiently
- Demonstrate value where it matters most – on the ground, with patients.
At the end of a DCODE intervention with Visions4Health, an assessment report is generated that provides you with an insight-led navigation to enable local access at pace in the UK.
DCODE methodology comprises of:
Whether you’re launching a novel therapeutic or a HealthTech product, DCODE enables you to inform your market access strategy and build your value proposition for local adoption.
Please contact us at Visions4Health www.visions4health.com to learn more about DCODE and how it can help you with your product access in the UK.
This advertorial appeared in the June edition of PME. Read the full issue here
