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UK Government Launches New E-Health Research Service

United Kingdom
03/04/2012
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On 29 March 2012, the UK government launched a new online research service that will give life sciences companies unprecedented access to large sets of anonymised NHS patient data. The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (“CPRD”) is managed by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) and is part funded by the NHS National Institute for Health Research (“NIHR”).

This new e-health research offering is a key part of the government’s ‘Plan for Growth’. The CPRD is expected to provide novel and powerful ways in which clinical trials can be undertaken, develop new treatments for patients faster and attract investment in the UK’s life sciences sector and economy.
The CPRD is apparently the world’s largest computerised database of anonymised longitudinal medical records from primary care that is linked with other healthcare data. CPRD services are designed to maximise the way anonymised NHS clinical data (e.g. from patients suffering with conditions like cancer and diabetes) can be linked to enable many types of observational research and deliver research outputs that are beneficial to improving and safeguarding public health.

The MHRA says the CPRD will be able to initiate “new surveillance methodologies helping all parties, including pharma companies, meet the public health needs of knowing about real world safety, effectiveness and the benefit-risk relationship”.

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