In the “Nine for 2026” series,¹ IQVIA’s Thought Leadership team provided perspectives on the most significant trends shaping issues impacting global healthcare in 2026 and beyond. In IQVIA UK, we discussed which of these matter the most for leaders in the UK life sciences sector.

Three front runners emerged:

1. New funding channels in the private market and digital health
2. HCP engagement in an AI driven search world
3. New opportunities for biosimilar companies

These three topics aren’t just theoretical trends. They’re happening right now in the UK, bringing both exciting opportunities and significant challenges.

New Funding Channels – The Private Market and Digital Health Platforms

Private healthcare is no longer a niche in the UK – it is becoming mainstream. While privately provided services such as surgery and physiotherapy have long existed, largely funded through insurance, a newer shift is the rise of self‑pay medical spending.

Out‑of‑pocket funding, particularly for weight‑loss medications delivered via digital health platforms, is accelerating, and the UK is now leading Europe in the development of self‑pay healthcare markets. As of January 2026, there are an estimated 2M patients on weight management treatments, with ~85% paying privately². Digital health platforms (from online pharmacies to app‑based consultation services) have stepped in to meet this demand, making it more convenient to access treatment privately.

Beyond obesity, private providers are expanding into specialties traditionally dominated by NHS medicine prescribing, including dermatology and mental health, driven by unmet demand and long waiting lists.

There is no shortage of physician supply to meet the increased patient demand in the private sector. With HCPs in the UK increasingly dissatisfied with stagnating wages in the NHS, it is becoming more common for doctors to spend one to two days a week in the private setting, even early in their careers.

In short, the UK has become a real‑world laboratory for mixing public and private care, with other countries watching closely to see what works. If industry can figure out how to navigate this new territory, those lessons could be applied internationally, potentially even attracting global investment to UK initiatives that pioneer successful private‑market approaches.

Implications for UK Life Sciences

We can no longer assume that every patient will flow through the NHS pathway. Instead, companies will often need to develop dual strategies: one for the traditional NHS route and another for the expanding private or self‑pay route.

Digital health platforms, from telehealth apps to online specialist clinics, are not just new distribution channels but potential strategic partners. Forward‑looking pharma companies are already working with these platforms to support education, ensure appropriate use of their medicines, and gather real‑world data on outcomes.

Finally, there is the “consumerisation” aspect. Marketing teams may need to borrow from consumer health playbooks, for example by using digital marketing (within the bounds of compliance) and patient support programmes to connect with patients directly, and by analysing and responding to patient price sensitivity.

In sum, private pathways in the UK offer new revenue streams and faster routes to patients, but pharma will need creativity and flexibility to seize these opportunities without undermining their core NHS business.

Engaging and Communicating with HCPs in an AI-Driven Search World

We’re entering an era where “Dr ChatGPT” (and its kin) could become a fixture in consulting rooms. Indeed, in a recent study, nearly 28% of UK GPs reported having already experimented with AI tools such as ChatGPT to support their clinical decision‑making³.

If this is where HCPs are looking for information, what is the role of the pharmaceutical representative or medical science liaison (MSL)? In a study conducted in early 2025, 38% of HCPs rated generative AI as “critical” or “very important” as a source of scientific information⁴, on a par with MSLs (39%) and ahead of the pharma sales force (30%).

OpenEvidence⁵ is already transforming how US physicians access guidelines and real‑world data, and it is only a matter of time before similar systems make inroads in the UK, with systems pointing specifically to UK guidelines⁶.

Implications for UK Life Sciences

Sales representatives and MSLs will need to add value beyond what AI can deliver. That means focusing on the human elements of engagement: building trust, discussing complex or sensitive issues, and providing context and empathy.

Companies may need to retrain and upskill their field forces. The new role of in‑field teams may be to discuss strategic treatment pathways, help physicians navigate formulary hurdles, or facilitate peer‑to‑peer connections, rather than simply reciting clinical trial data.

Additionally, pharma must embrace a new kind of digital brand presence. Just as search engine optimisation (SEO) became crucial in the Google era, we are now entering the era of “AI optimisation”. Companies must ensure that up‑to‑date, accurate information about their products is widely accessible across the digital sources used by AI‑driven models.

The bottom line: AI won’t replace the pharma representative, but representatives who use AI (and understand what HCPs use it for) will replace those who do not.

Biosimilars – New Opportunities for Biosimilar Companies

The UK has been a trailblazer in biosimilar adoption, with the NHS aggressively encouraging switching to lower‑cost biologics wherever possible. This has already yielded substantial savings for the NHS, exceeding £1.2 billion⁷. With several blockbuster biologic drugs coming off patent between 2026 and 2028, this trend is set to continue.

Until recently, the biosimilar space was dominated by a few major therapy areas (such as insulin, anti‑TNFs and oncology antibodies), but this may change. Regulators in the UK and globally are streamlining approval requirements for new biosimilars, for example by relaxing the need for large Phase III trials. This could cut global development costs by up to £80 million and reduce development timelines by a year or more.

This opens the door to the development of biosimilars for assets that were previously viewed as unviable and is likely to expand the number of organisations entering the biosimilar market in the UK. Based on analysis of IQVIA MIDAS⁸data, the top four off‑patent biologics with no biosimilars currently available in the UK are insulin human isophane (type 1 diabetes), interferon beta‑1a (multiple sclerosis), poractant alfa (respiratory distress syndrome in pre‑term infants), and imiglucerase (Gaucher disease). This illustrates how the potential impact could span conditions affecting large patient populations as well as rare diseases.

Implications for UK Life Sciences

For manufacturers of originator biologics, the message is clear: market exclusivity periods are shrinking, and post‑patent competition will arrive faster and hit harder than ever before.

However, effective lifecycle management can still deliver substantial value. Despite intense biosimilar competition, adalimumab sales were in excess of £1.2 billion in 2025, with several individual adalimumab brands ranking among the UK’s top‑selling products.⁹ For originator companies willing to compete post‑LOE within the biosimilar market, significant revenue opportunities remain. These opportunities can be captured more efficiently by leveraging established commercial capabilities.

For companies that manufacture biosimilars, or those contemplating entry into the space, the UK represents a land of opportunity. If you can bring a high‑quality biosimilar to market, the NHS is a willing buyer. However, competition can be intense, as multiple players often enter the market when major biologics lose patent protection.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our “3 for 2026 for the UK”: private pathways, Dr ChatGPT and the biosimilar boom, all reflect a common theme: the UK healthcare landscape is changing faster than ever.

For pharma leaders, keeping pace will require agility and openness to new ideas. Today’s challenges can become tomorrow’s opportunities.

The UK is demonstrating how healthcare can evolve in real time, from new routes to patients, to new technologies in the clinic, to new cost dynamics for medicines. By anticipating these shifts and responding proactively, we can not only navigate change but help shape it.

References:

1. Nine for 2026: Nine issues and trends that will shape the global healthcare and pharmaceutical environments for 2026 and beyond | IQVIA
2. Analysis of IQVIA SCM and NHSBSA data.
3. How are GPs using AI? Insights from the front line | Nuffield Trust
4. Advancing Scientific Exchange: Trends and Tactics for Healthcare Professional Engagement | IQVIA
5. OpenEvidence
6. OpenEvidence outside the US: access, verification, and practical alternatives | iatroX Clinical AI Insights
7. NHS England » Commissioning framework for best value biological medicines
8. MIDAS® | IQVIA
9. Sales at list price - IQVIA HPA data