Bacteriophage therapy

UK PHAGE THERAPY

The UK's National Clinical Phage Service

About us

We exist to make phage therapy happen for patients across the UK.


Working with partner organisations we run the UK's National Clinical Phage Service.


This is an end-to-end specialist clinical service covering all stages of the patient journey - from clinical request through to diagnostics, sourcing and using phages.



About UK Phage Therapy

UK Phage Therapy is a non-profit initiative, founded in 2022, which builds on the experience of delivering phage therapy across three NHS Trusts.

About our Director

Dr Jones has supported the use of phage therapy in several NHS Trusts and is actively working with other Trusts across the UK. Dr Jones trained as a virologist at the University of Cambridge.

National Clinical Phage Service

We can take clinical requests from doctors across the UK.


We can also build capacity in all NHS Trusts to support ongoing phage use.


Use the contact form below to send a clinical request or just to find out more.


Phage therapy: FAQs

Click on the blue arrows to explore our FAQs

  • I'm a UK patient - how can I get phage therapy?

    Patients in the UK must discuss with their own doctor whether phage therapy may be suitable for them.


    Phage therapy is not a licensed medicine in the UK. It is up to your consultant to decide whether phage therapy should be considered. Phage therapy may only be considered where licensed alternatives (e.g. antibiotics) are not meeting a patient's clinical needs.


    If your doctor thinks phage therapy may be a suitable for you, they should contact us via the form below.


    Patients should not have to travel outside of their NHS Trust to receive phage therapy.

  • I'm a UK doctor - how can I access phage therapy?

    Please use the contact form below to get in touch and we will walk you through every step of the process.

  • What are phages?

    Phages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They are also known as bacteriophages - which literally means 'bacteria eaters'.

  • What is phage therapy?

    The use of naturally occurring phages to treat bacterial infections in people. 

  • Can phages infect me?

    No. Phages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria, they do not infect human cells. 

  • Where are phages found?

    Everywhere! Phages are found wherever bacteria are found. Stuff with lots of bacteria in contains lots of phages, like sewage or poo. 


    Phages can also be found in or on people. There are more phages on or in you than there are cells in your body!

  • Are the UK's regulations holding back phage therapy?

    There has been a misconception that existing medicines regulations do not work for phages because phages are so different from the normal types of drugs we use.


    In fact, current UK regulations do not pose a barrier to the appropriate use of phage therapy or the development of phage-based products. Although of course the need for regulatory refinements may become clear in future.


    Currently, as set out in MHRA Guidance Note 14, unlicensed medicines (such as phages) may be used in the UK when clinicians decide that licensed alternatives are not meeting a patient's clinical needs. Unlicensed medicines are regularly used in the NHS and the NHS has existing policies governing the use of unlicensed medicines.


    A key barrier is that phages produced in the UK must be made in line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). GMP is an internationally recognised quality standard. Currently, all phages used clinically in the UK are imported.


    UK Phage Therapy is working with public and private partners to establish GMP phage production in the UK.

Contact us

We'd love to hear from you, please contact us below


Your personal information will be handled in accordance with UK Data Protection laws


Clinicians - do not send patient identifiable information via this form


We will get back to you as soon as possible


We'd love to hear from you, please drop us a line using the form below

Phage therapy UK
Share by: