OLS: Respiratory Disease Strategic Partnership

OLS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out an ambition for the Government to land at least one major Life Sciences strategic partnership per year over the spending review period. OLS define strategic partnerships as bespoke, formal, mutually beneficial agreements between HMG and one or more organisations, based on a shared set of ambitions. These strategic partnerships are expected to:

• drive a step change in health outcomes,
• stimulate economic growth, and
• drive system-wide benefits.

Previous strategic partnerships have included:

• A strategic partnership with BioNTech which will see up to 10,000 UK patients receive personalised cancer therapies by 2030. BioNTech have plans to invest a further up to £1 billion over 10 years to set up R&D hubs in Cambridge and London.
• A £279 million strategic partnership with Lilly to tackle major health challenges includes £35 million in grant funding from Lilly, matched by £50 million in Government funding, to deliver the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme – evaluating novel, innovative models of care for obesity management in community settings.

RESPIRATORY DISEASE

Despite significant academic and clinical advancements, respiratory outcomes in the UK have stagnated over the past 15 years. Respiratory diseases remain the third leading cause of death in England, affecting 1 in 5 people and costing the NHS in the UK over £11 billion annually. Asthma and Lung UK have estimated that the total cost of lung conditions to the UK economy is up to £188 billion per year. Respiratory disease is closely linked to deprivation, with significantly higher rates of illness and premature death in the most disadvantaged communities.

This market engagement is focused on exploring how these issues might be addressed across the UK. In England, respiratory disease has been identified as a priority area for redesigning outpatient care in the 10 Year Health Plan (10YHP) and is also a significant area of focus for the “shifts” identified in the plan, particularly the shifts from hospital to community and from sickness to prevention.

OLS are keen to hear from respondents in relation to how they can best help support HMG’s ambition to improve respiratory outcomes in the UK. OLS have worked across government, with industry, as well as charitable and academic stakeholders to identify three initial key areas where strategic partnership with industry has the potential to have a transformative impact on respiratory health outcomes, improve the respiratory R&D infrastructure in the UK and deliver economic growth: strengthening data infrastructure; accelerating research and development; optimising clinical pathways.

Respondents do not need to answer questions for each pillar and may focus their response to a single pillar if this is the only pillar relevant to their organisation. OLS would also welcome hearing from respondents on any other ways in which they may be able to support HMG’s ambition to improve respiratory outcomes in the UK beyond these initial three key areas.

Pillar 1: Strengthen Data Infrastructure

Challenge: Respiratory-specific and general health data, as well as wider data (e.g., biomarkers, spirometry results, patient outcomes), are variably collected in primary and secondary healthcare data, and other data sources are variably connected. Routine and updated linkage across datasets such as economic (e.g., disability, household income) and environmental (e.g., air quality) are not currently formed.

Opportunity: Develop linked NHS and real-world data and/or undertake federated analytics with standardised curation and definitions and streamlined governance (e.g., building on HDR UK's BREATHE Hub now the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst). This would enable risk stratification, population health management, and targeted interventions as well as articulating benefit realisations. This high-quality data infrastructure would enable a broad range of research and make the UK a significantly more attractive destination for further industry investment/R&D. This would ultimately allow clinicians to make better informed decisions and result in more targeted care for patients.

Potential delivery route: Under this pillar, we would seek to embed respiratory analytic capacity within organisations which hold relevant data and provide dedicated leadership and governance. Indicative delivery routes could include but not be limited to:

• Aligning with the development of the UK-wide Health Data Research Service to ensure interoperability and streamlined access to data.
• Boosting capability of existing research infrastructure across the UK health data landscape including:

o Building on and scaling up the work of the existing HDR UK Respiratory Data Science Catalyst.

o Building on NHS Research Secure Data Environments (SDEs) and other SDEs across the UK to enhance availability and linkage of primary, secondary care, and imaging data and the national lung cancer screening dataset. Subsequently also consider opportunities to feed in other data sources such as air pollution, social care, economic participation and housing.

o Targeted public engagement to ensure inclusive and effective community reach in areas of low socio-economic status, including high-density housing and inter-generational living.

o Ability to scale the NHS DigiTrials recruitment service supporting clinical trials in the UK. This would include access to DigiTrials feasibility, outcomes and communication services.

Pillar 2: Accelerate Research and Development

Challenge: Respiratory disease has less R&D funding when compared to other diseases of similar impact, and new diagnostic tools and treatments are needed to improve outcomes for a significant subset of patients, for example uncontrolled exacerbations in people living with asthma and COPD.

Opportunity: Increase public and private investment into world-leading respiratory research assets. In particular, there is potential to leverage AI and modern approaches to trials to identify new treatable traits, drug targets and diagnostics. There is also an opportunity to improve R&D infrastructure for respiratory disease, increasing trial participation and embedding clinical research in care delivery. We could also explore with any potential partner(s) how we can align with the Asthma and Lung UK Grand Challenges which set out priority areas for respiratory R&D in the UK.

Potential delivery route: To be determined based on the co-developed scope of the strategic partnership.

Pillar 3: Optimise Clinical Pathways

Challenge: Despite good progress in the space, late and inequitable diagnoses as well as highly variable care pathways for people with respiratory disease, in particular asthma and COPD, impact on clinical outcomes. Improvements across clinical pathways can substantially reduce avoidable exacerbations, hospitalisations, and deaths.

Opportunity: Work in partnership to develop a set of high-impact interventions (ideally delivered by integrated neighbourhood teams and coordinated at system level) to equitably and timely:

• Ensure early and accurate diagnosis of respiratory disease, recognising the opportunity provided by lung cancer screening to identify a wider set of lung conditions and enable innovative new diagnostic tools.
• Deliver effective risk stratification enabling the early identification and management of at-risk patients, promoting targeted interventions leading to reduced system strain.
• Optimise of treatment for people with respiratory conditions, particularly COPD and asthma, through timely and equitable delivery of guideline-based pathways of care.
• Identify and treat people with severe disease likely to benefit from advanced therapies.

Potential delivery route: In England, this work could potentially be delivered through an expansion of the existing Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP). Interested parties with deep respiratory expertise and existing UK clinical networks could add value to RTP delivery, for example in biologics optimisation, severe asthma pathways, digital integration, or accelerated diagnostic adoption. For example, this could include wider work on elective pathways, addressing exacerbations, and hospital flows.

Should you need to seek clarification on any aspect of this notice, please contact the OLS Investment Partnerships Team at: investmentpartnerships@officeforlifesciences.gov.uk