Health minister Karin Smyth MP, on a visit to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), met with scientists to see the latest medical innovations that would revolutionise patient care.

The visit, during British Science Week and NHS Healthcare Science Week, emphasised the MHRA’s role in driving life sciences innovation, which helps patients around the nation receive cutting-edge medical care, from mRNA vaccines to advanced cancer diagnostics.

Minister Smyth met with MHRA scientists and regulatory experts to hear how their work is helping the NHS move towards easier diagnosis and prevention, as part of the government’s plan for the NHS. Initiatives that revolve around this priority include ensuring the annual flu vaccine is as effective as possible, setting safety standards for genomic cancer testing, and enabling quick access to new treatments.

The minister additionally received a tour of the MHRA’s biologics laborites, heard how the MHRA collaborates with industry and healthcare partners to ensure patients can access to medicines they need, and learned about the global impact of the MHRA.

About the visit, the health minister said: “The MHRA’s scientists are making a real difference by ensuring NHS patients can benefit from the latests medical advances safely and quickly. From speeding up access to life-saving vaccines to setting high safety standards for new cancer tests, their work is helping the NHS focus on earlier diagnosis and prevention. 

"It was fantastic to see first-hand how their expertise is driving innovation, protection patients, and strengthening our healthcare system.”