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NHS US could have to pay more for drugs under plan to block tariffs threatened by President donald trumpThis has been reported.
Politico reported that it had been briefed on the proposals, including raising the threshold used by England’s NHS spending watchdog to 25%. Washington officers.
The government has confirmed it is in “advanced discussions” with the US to “ensure the best outcome for the UK”.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates medicines based on a number of factors including clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and overall cost to the NHS.
This is done using an assessment called quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), which represents as a number both the length of life gained from a treatment and its effect on quality of life.
In general, NICE considers medicines costing between £20,000 and £30,000 per additional QALY gained to represent good value for money for the NHS.
Raising the limits would make it easier for NHS patients to access more expensive medicines, but it would also mean the health service would pay more for medicines overall.
This science minister comes after Lord patrick valence It acknowledged that an increase in the price paid by the NHS for medicines would be “essential” to prevent pharmaceutical investment leaving the UK.
Major companies have scaled back or halted investment plans in the UK pharmaceutical industry this year, and industry bosses recently told MPs that the “tough” environment and pressure on pricing have made the UK a less attractive investment environment than other countries such as the US.
It is understood that President Trump wants greater parity on drug pricing, as drug prices in the US are higher than anywhere else in the world and he has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100% on pharmaceutical imports.
A government spokesperson said: “The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are vital to our NHS, our economy and the transformation plan.
“Through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are committed to working with industry to accelerate the growth in spending on innovative medicines compared to the last decade.
“We have achieved a historic economic partnership with the US, including working together on pharmaceutical exports from the UK and improving conditions for pharmaceutical companies here.
“We are now in advanced discussions with the US administration to ensure the best outcome for the UK, which reflects our strong relationship and the opportunities for closer partnership with our pharmaceutical industry.”
A NICE spokesperson said: “In a health system like ours, funded by general taxation, it is for the government to decide how much to spend on health in the context of other spending priorities within and beyond the health system.
“In that context, NICE is aware of ongoing discussions in government on the level of pharmaceutical spending.”