ATMP Engage working groups

Do you want to help us raise the profile of ATMPs for patients? 

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are an exciting new class of treatments with the potential to have significant benefits to patients; but, there is a lack of awareness of these treatments in the patient community which impacts on the willingness to engage in clinical trials and choose this treatment when recommended.  

The aim of the raising awareness subgroup of ATMP Engage is to capitalise on opportunities to help people better understand what ATMPs are about to inform decisions they make for themselves and for those they care about. Our latest activity is conducting a survey to hear directly from patients what they want to know about ATMPs to inform future events. 

The advent of advanced therapies (ATMPs) for a range of chronic and incurable disease provides a tangible prospect for treatment or disease modification in a variety of disorders which are still lacking effective or curative therapies.

However, ATMPs are different from traditional medicines in terms of their cost and complexity of delivery. In the current healthcare climate where significant health inequalities already exist, it is important that we understand and address additional barriers that may prevent some eligible candidates from receiving therapeutic intervention.

The Equity of Access sub-group of ATMP engage is a group of public and patient advocates, researchers and third sector representatives dedicated to ensuring that specific groups are not excluded from these important advances in healthcare and that AMTPs are readily available to anyone who may need or benefit from them. 

The ‘Develop a Charter’ subgroup brings together a wealth of expertise and experience from patient groups, consultancy, NICE and NHS England. The subgroup is ambitious about developing the first-ever comprehensive patient charter for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) that is principles-led, evidence-based, and above all, upholds the rights and interests of patients and their families as part of shared treatment decision-making to improve health outcomes and quality of life.