Changes in health policy and regulation pose both commercial opportunities and risks.
We help major corporates, investors and portfolio companies anticipate, interpret and respond to opportunities from changes in health policy, regulation and politics to deliver improved commercial outcomes. Our team brings together expertise from senior levels of UK and European ministries, public health bodies, competition authorities, and regulators. What differentiates us is our cross-disciplinary expertise that provides us with a sophisticated understanding of the interdependencies of health and care policy with the wider political system; a forensic focus on driving commercial outcomes, and a proven track record in the sector.
Flint’s approach
We focus on identifying and translating political, policy and regulatory developments into new business opportunities and commercially valuable advice for effective investor and business management.
Transactional support from origination to execution
Analysis of current and future political, policy and regulatory trends to determine commercial opportunities and risks for providers and investors.
Buy and sell-side due diligence for clients considering investments or divestments in areas that face head or tailwinds from politics, policy, regulation or competition.
Transaction execution support, including clearing competition and public interest reviews.
Market entry, scaling and ongoing asset management
Support in navigating and addressing complex political, regulatory or trade challenges involved in entering or scaling in the UK or European markets.
Strategic counsel and intelligence
Help developing and structuring an effective approach to political and regulatory engagement to influence the shape of health, care and life sciences policy and regulation.
Public procurement and grant applications
Support drafting bids for government funding, including R&D grants and funding for new laboratories and facilities, and help to navigate wider political engagement, contracting and compensation negotiations with UK and EU ministries.
Case studies
Regulatory due diligence on multinational clinical trials and medicines manufacturer
Regulatory due diligence on multinational clinical trials and medicines manufacturer
Project to establish whether a bid was viable and to inform the client’s perspective on the final price.
Assess how the asset’s business model interacted with UK & international regulation.
Establish the impact of Brexit on the regulatory framework governing the company and potential risks to the business model.
Determine whether the asset’s business model was viable under other jurisdictions’ regulations.
Assessed commercial DD to determine any missed policy risk.
Researched regulatory processes and developments in detail.
Interviewed relevant regulators, political operatives and industry representatives.
Instructed US firm to complement Flint’s UK and EU expertise.
Briefed investment team throughout the project, and presented final findings to the team and responsible partner.
Conducted analysis after first round bid to address subsequent political events concerning the Investment Committee.
Firm understood how regulation impacted the asset and its international customer base.
Established that Brexit would have little direct impact on the asset’s commercial model.
Established US regulator’s likely approach to approval of the asset’s business model.
UK strategic counsel of major multinational pharmaceutical company
UK strategic counsel of major multinational pharmaceutical company
Long term strategic advice for company undergoing major restructuring.
Mapped economic, political and government developments and provided ongoing intelligence and insight. Also delivered quarterly horizon-scanning sessions.
Extensive advice on engagement from identifying suitable targets, to advising on approach, providing briefings and preparing senior stakeholders for meetings.
Detailed research to inform a report on how the client should pursue its sustainability agenda given government priorities. The report included a landscape review, proposed policy positions and stakeholder analysis.
Critical review of policy and funding proposals through an official and ministerial lens to strengthen the strategic and value-for-money case for investments and support.
The client understood the priorities of government, and how this was impacted by wider policy and political developments, particularly on Brexit, trade and geopolitics.
Client developed high-quality, long-term relationships with key stakeholders in life sciences and R&D in government.
Client directly shaped key areas of government policy, including R&D tax credit policy, and key areas of R&D investment focus; for example the functional genomics landscape.
Client maximised chances of success in obtaining funding for future investments on several occasions, including a successful bid for support to develop a major research site.
Supporting a digital health provider to secure contract renewal and expansion
Supporting a digital health provider to secure contract renewal and expansion
Project to support a leading digital health solutions provider to mitigate emerging commercial risks and secure its footprint in the UK. Risks to their position included:
1. An increasingly pressured fiscal environment with cuts to digital health budgets.
2. An increasingly competitive digital health sector, with emerging competition for health and care contracts from US corporates.
3. New NHS institutional architecture and decision-makers for digital health contracts that the firm did not know.
Helped the firm to understand the UK political and policy context, including the shifting institutional landscape following government leadership changes and structural changes introduced by the Health and Care Act 2022.
Identified existing and emerging risks to be mitigated, including the impact of policy decisions and budget cuts on the likelihood of contracts being awarded and/or renewed.
Developed an engagement strategy to map influential stakeholders (and routes to engage) for contract negotiations. The strategy also identified a wider network of influencers to advocate for the firm and optimise its position in the market.
Honed the arguments and narrative used in outreach and relationship building to ensure alignment with political and policy priorities – critical given the wider fiscal environment and growing competition for contracts.
Successfully secured new multi-year contracts to supply electronic patient records to NHS Trusts.
Successfully secured contract renewal for the provision of vaccine support.
Client understood the new institutional landscape and how to best navigate that to secure longer-term commercial goals.
A late change to an incoming prudential regime resulted in a client’s international operations being brought in scope, meaning the client would be required to hold significant additional capital. The client needed support to consider the options and make a decision about how best to mitigate the impact of this.
What Flint Did
Outcome
Flint advises international businesses and investors on policy, politics, regulation and competition issues in European markets
