Over 30 charities have come together to call on the Government to increase investment in medical research so that patients do not miss out on potential new treatments and cures.

The Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) represents more than 30 charities and has just published its Manifesto for Medical Research, which urges political parties to pledge to make research a key priority if they are a part of the next Government.

According to MRCG chairperson, Philip Watt, medical research has been ‘pivotal in increasing life expectancy, reducing infant mortality, limiting the toll of infectious diseases, and improving outcomes for patients'. However, if significant investment is not made in this area, Irish patients ‘will be left at a serious disadvantage', he insisted.

"Patients in very challenging disease areas will have to go abroad if they want to access clinical trials for promising therapies that could make a huge difference to their lives. Patients will also be left in the slow lane when it comes to accessing treatments and therapies in the early stages of development.

"It is simply not right that Irish patients should be treated as second class to citizens in other European countries that really are pushing the boundaries and the possibilities of research," he commented.

The MRCG's Manifesto is calling for a number of things in this area, including:

-Investment - increased funding for medical research and the appointment of a HSE research tsar to champion research across the health service
-Registries - the development of national patient disease registries, such as those already in place for diseases like cancer. These registries would ensure that important information, such as numbers diagnosed and survival rates, were known for a range of conditions. Tracking trends and variations like this allows for better policy and service development
-Therapies - there needs to be a streamlined process for the approval of new and emerging therapies, so that once they have been given the green light by the European Medicines Agency, patients in Ireland can benefit without delay.

"There have been rapid advances in the development of new therapies in recent years that have the potential to offer a major extension to quality of life and, indeed, life itself. It is evident, in the light of a number of recent cases where patients have not been able to access vital treatments in a timely way, that we need more appropriate decision criteria and a much more streamlined approach to reimbursement of new treatments and technologies.

"Patients, often in a very vulnerable state, should not be have to beg for the treatment that they deserve, caught in the crossfire of price negotiations between Government and the pharmaceutical industry," Mr Watt noted.

He also pointed out that without proper funding and leadership, Ireland may lose some of its best researchers to more attractive research opportunities abroad.

"The lack of leadership within our health services for medical research, and the loss of protected time to undertake it, needs to be urgently addressed. Clinical research needs to be at the core of our health services, embedded within every team and every department, with clinicians supported and incentivised to undertake that work.

"The appointment of a research tsar by the HSE, with a ring-fenced budget, and a clear vision and strategy, would bring a much-needed focus to this area. It would be an important first step in demonstrating Government's commitment to best practice in clinical treatment, to best innovation in science, and to best outcomes for patients," Mr Watt said.

Also commenting on this, Dr David McConnell of Trinity College Dublin, who is an expert in the field of genetic engineering, noted that medicine is being ‘revolutionised by huge advances in genetics, immunology, imaging and diagnostics'.

"For Ireland to keep pace with this revolution in medical science and to continue to pioneer new treatments, we need to have the very best doctors who are up to speed with the latest research in their field. This means investing in the research of the leading Irish medical scientists," he said.

He believes that Ireland's research capacity is being severely damaged ‘through being starved of resources and funding'.

"When more than 30 charities involved in medical research come together to issue a clarion call for urgent action, the Government really needs to listen," he added.

For more information on the MRCG, click here