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Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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EMEA Thought Leadership
Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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SOLUTIONS
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NHS Solutions
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Advancing UK Healthcare
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NHS Solutions
Utilising the extensive range of data assets exclusively available to IQVIA, combined with our market leading expertise, we are able to support the NHS meet the challenge of delivering high quality, efficient and cost effective healthcare by identifying actionable insight and realising the value in data.
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We believe in the UK’s potential to become a global leader in the life sciences sector, and our investments announced in the 2018 Second Life Sciences Sector Deal further support the UK Government and the industry’s aim to make that potential a reality.
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We are committed to providing solutions that inform and enable all stakeholders across UK healthcare, to innovate with confidence, maximise opportunities, and, ultimately, drive human health outcomes forward.
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IQVIA’s Pharmacy Communications offers pharma companies a simple and cost-effective channel to communicate product changes, updates and patient advice directly to patients via pharmacists.
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Explore our library of resources spanning the healthcare & life science ecosystem on the latest topics, trends, and market developments that matter to you.
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Looking ahead for Life Sciences – 2025/26
May 08, 2025
Looking ahead for Life Sciences – 2025/26
The UK healthcare system is undergoing its most significant structural transformation in decades. As we move into 2025/26, the Life Sciences sector must not only navigate these changes, but lead alongside them. The Government’s decision to abolish NHS England and reintegrate it into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) marks a key shift. This reorganisation is expected to span two years and cut headcount significantly, so the whole healthcare sector needs to understand these changes and adjust how it engages.
What is changing in the UK health system: On March 13th 2025, the UK Prime Minister announced that NHS England would be abolished and its functions absorbed into DHSC. These changes are led by Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, who aims to fix the longest waiting times and lowest patient satisfaction in NHS history. The NHS will also be delivering the new 10-Year Health Plan in 2025.
Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) were already reducing staff by 20–35% and are now expected to cut costs by 50% by the end of 2025. Some ICBs may be unable to survive this, sparking speculation around mergers and further structural consolidation. Local NHS systems will have more control, taking on contracting and service redesign. Acute trusts and providers will also see a greater role in system planning.
These changes signal a major cultural and operational shift. For industry, the key takeaway is this: relationships with DHSC and OLS officials will now be more critical than ever. Future innovation will need to align closely with national priorities but be driven and delivered locally.
The sector’s strategic response
Despite the uncertainty, three enduring NHS strategic priorities remain unchanged:
- Analogue to digital – Driving data-led transformation.
- Hospital to community – Shifting care closer to home.
- Sickness to prevention – Enabling prevention and early intervention.
To remain relevant and impactful, Life Sciences must align with these goals and focus on six strategic levers:
1. Workforce and innovation culture
The NHS workforce is under intense pressure. Fatigue and staff shortages persist, but industry can play a powerful role, co-funding, co-designing care models, and providing tools that reduce frontline burden. Supporting protected time for research and innovation can be a catalyst for new care models.
2. Integration and local system alignment
ICBs are central to local delivery but face budget constraints and uneven maturity. Life Sciences can support these bodies by embedding innovation into care delivery at the grassroots level. Early co-creation with the NHS, at inception, not implementation, will be essential to building trust and impact.
3. Health equality and unmet need
Reducing inequalities is now hardwired into NHS objectives. But many regions still face stark disparities. Industry must lead with data, highlighting where needs are greatest and designing launch strategies around population need, not market size.
4. Sustainability and pricing models
Affordability is a growing challenge, particularly for new treatments. Risk-sharing agreements, long-term planning, and use of real-world evidence will be critical in making a compelling case for early adoption.
5. Digitisation and data sharing
Digital innovation is a government priority, but system interoperability remains a hurdle. Life Sciences should champion data trust, support local digital maturity, and build evidence-driven access schemes. New data legislation offers a unique moment to accelerate progress.
6. Tackling waits through system efficiency
NHS leaders welcome innovations that directly reduce waiting times. Often, this means incremental changes, like community or home-based care. These are more sustainable and easier to implement than large-scale reform. Framing your innovation in terms of wait time impact is a powerful strategy.
Final thoughts
To thrive in this new landscape, Life Sciences must go beyond developing solutions, they must co-create them. Working with ICBs, DHSC, and providers to deliver aligned, measurable outcomes will be key to success. To do this will require novel engagement with stakeholders that may be less familiar to an industry that has historically centred on clinical input to drive change. While the return on investment may take longer, the impact - for systems, patients, and industry - will be transformational.
At IQVIA, we see these six strategic areas as critical levers for shaping the next phase of UK healthcare. 2025-2026 is not just a year of change and challenge, it’s a year of opportunity for those who are ready to adapt, align, and lead.
For more information, get in touch with the team today at: IQVIAMAPA@iqvia.com