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As part of this first-of-its-kind partnership between the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), companies will have a coordinated fast track pathway to engage both regulators at the same time. Under the new corridor, developers will be able to seek joint advice from both regulators early, helping them plan ahead and design better clinical trials, avoid duplication and reduce delays.
The aim is to speed up patient access to breakthrough therapies in high-impact areas such as cancer, dementia, obesity, rare diseases and advanced diagnostics – without compromising on safety – while strengthening both countries’ position as global hubs for life science investment.
Flagship Pioneering, a scientific innovation engine for transformative platforms and products, will be the first company to access the new Regulatory Innovation Corridor. Its early-stage programmes across an ecosystem of more than 40 companies, including Flagship-founded Moderna, span a broad range of new therapeutic modalities that could inform regulatory paradigm shifts on the horizon. This includes next-generation gene therapies, precision immunology and digital health, providing both countries visibility into a strong pipeline of potential breakthroughs to prepare to assess safely and innovatively.
The partnership builds on a long track record of UK–Singapore cooperation in science and technology. The collaboration will be supported by joint work on AI in healthcare, with both regulators acting as the first two pioneer countries in the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network, and also draw on the UK’s National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare.
This new route forms part of wider efforts to unlock growth in UK life sciences and make it simpler for global innovators to bring safe, effective medicines and medical technologies to patients.
