Why Patients Shouldn’t Have to Wait for Access to Innovation

Written by Judit Mora, CEO and Co-founder, Nuumad 
Published on 27th July 2026 in Scottish Pharmacy Magazine

When a new medicine receives regulatory approval, most people understandably assume it will soon be available to patients who need it. After all, years of research have been completed, clinical trials have demonstrated safety and efficacy and the MHRA has given the green light. 

Yet in reality, approval is often just the beginning of another lengthy journey. Before many medicines become routinely available through the NHS, they must navigate guideline assessments, cost effectiveness reviews, commissioning decisions and local implementation processes. Those steps are essential. Public healthcare has a responsibility to ensure treatments deliver value for taxpayers as well as positive outcomes for patients.

But from an individual patient's perspective, particularly someone living with a condition that affects their quality of life every day, those timelines can feel impossibly long. This delay creates a gap between approval and access. With weight loss medicines, the time between authorisation and private availability has been reduced to a matter of weeks. If faster access can be achieved in some areas, why should patients wait years for other clinically approved treatments?

Private Access Doesn’t Have to Mean Competing with the NHS

Private healthcare is often portrayed as being in competition with the NHS. In reality, the two systems frequently work alongside one another. Millions of people already access vaccinations, travel health services, contraception and other pharmacy-led services privately, even while continuing to rely on the NHS for the majority of their healthcare. The same principle can apply to innovative medicines.

If a treatment has been approved and there are safe, clinically governed routes for eligible patients to access it privately, should we really expect everyone to wait several years before anyone can benefit? That question is becoming increasingly relevant as innovation accelerates.

Weight loss medicines illustrate what can happen when there is a viable private access pathway alongside NHS rollout. Patients who meet the clinical criteria have been able to access treatment far sooner, while the NHS continues to determine how best to introduce these medicines at scale. It shows that where the right frameworks exist, the gap between authorisation and patient access doesn't have to be measured in years.

Providing an additional, clinically robust route for appropriate patients who wish to fund their own treatment doesn't undermine the NHS. If anything, it can help relieve pressure by giving patients another option while public services prioritise those with the greatest clinical need.

Why Community Pharmacy is Part of the Answer for New Medicines Access

The important point is that these services must be delivered safely. This is where community pharmacy has a unique opportunity. Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in the UK. They already support patients with medicines every day, often building relationships that develop over many years. As pharmacy services continue to evolve, they are well placed to deliver more innovative treatments within structured clinical frameworks.

One of the most effective mechanisms for achieving this is through Patient Group Directions (PGDs), which allow appropriately trained healthcare professionals to supply certain medicines without an individual prescription, provided patients meet clearly defined clinical criteria. Far from lowering standards, PGDs provide consistency. They ensure every consultation follows an agreed clinical pathway, every eligibility decision is evidence based, and every patient receives the same level of assessment.

In practice, however, delivery methods matter.Paper based or overly manual PGDs can introduce unnecessary friction and take time away from patient care. This is not a question of clinical capability, but of system design. Structured digital approaches can help reduce this burden, supporting pharmacists to deliver services more efficiently and focus on the patient in front of them.

Access and Equity Can Both Matter

Some will argue that private access inevitably creates inequality because not everyone can afford to pay. It's a valid concern, and one that deserves thoughtful discussion. However, there's also another perspective. 

A medicine that is available privately and eventually becomes available through the NHS still reaches more patients than a medicine that remains inaccessible to everyone during lengthy implementation processes. The goal should be ensuring that patients have appropriate choices wherever possible.

Thinking Differently About Pharmacy

For too long, pharmaceutical companies have focused almost exclusively on two groups: doctors and patients. Pharmacy has often been viewed simply as the final dispensing point rather than as an active clinical partner capable of supporting earlier access, better patient education and safer service delivery. I believe that's a missed opportunity.

Community pharmacy is already demonstrating that it can deliver increasingly sophisticated clinical services. The challenge now is ensuring the supporting technology, governance and clinical processes make it straightforward for pharmacy teams to do so confidently. 

I've seen first hand how a structured approach can give multidisciplinary teams the confidence to deliver the same high standard of care. Whether it's a pharmacist, pharmacy technician, prescriber or GP, having a consistent consultation framework means patients receive the same experience, while making it easier for healthcare professionals to work together and hand over care when needed. That's the kind of joined up model pharmacy should be building towards.

Innovation Only Matters if Patients Can Access It

Innovation doesn't stop with the development of a new medicine. It also means finding better ways to deliver that medicine safely, consistently and at scale. Community pharmacy has already shown it can adapt to new models of care, supported by robust governance and clear clinical pathways.

Ultimately, this conversation isn't about choosing between public and private healthcare. It's about recognising that patients don't experience healthcare in separate systems. They simply want timely access to safe, effective treatment. As innovation continues to accelerate, we need to think more creatively about how new medicines reach the people who could benefit from them. 

Community pharmacy is already trusted, accessible and embedded within local communities. It has the expertise, the patient relationships and the infrastructure to become a much bigger part of that solution. If we truly believe that medical innovation exists to improve lives, our focus shouldn't end once a medicine receives approval. It should end when patients can actually access it.