What is the Medical Innovation Register?
The open access Medical Innovation Register will record all treatments and their outcomes, both positive and negative, which are received by patients under the Medical Innovation Bill.
As the Bill leaves the House of Lords for the House of Commons on 23rd January 2015 we are thrilled that recording all treatments and their outcomes received under the Bill in the Medical Innovation Register will become a requirement.
Why is it so important?
One of the reasons for the Bill is that for “rare” conditions (the majority of cancer deaths) there is a lack of published evidence on which to rely when determining what treatments to try.
The recording of this data in the register is essential, as it will provide information on what novel treatments have worked, and importantly those that haven’t.
It moves treatments that without sharing and transparency could become just an anecdote into sharable evidence that can be used to treat other patients and inform future clinical trials.
An open access register that records novel treatments and is searchable by both patients and doctors does not currently exist in the UK.
It will be a significant development in the field of medical practice.
“…this is a vitally important Bill to drive forward the practicalities of innovation in clinical practice. I hope that it will also drive forward a positive culture of putting innovation at the heart of all clinical thinking.”
Lord Kakkar, Professor of Surgery at University College in London and a member of the General Medical Council said at the House of Lords Committee stage 24th October 2014
When will it be set up?
The register will be set up only when the Bill becomes law. It cannot, and will not happen, unless the Bill is passed by MPs.
Oxford University have already offered to host the Medical Innovation Register and the Medical Innovation Bill team is consulting widely on how the register will be set-up, managed and funded.
→READ: The Medical Innovation Bill will support evidence based medicine by Professor Walker.
We believe the Medical Innovation Bill Register will increase the knowledge of potential novel treatments for patients with rare cancers and other diseases, patients for whom there are few, if any, clinical trials.
We will bring you the latest updates on the register as they happen.