Brain Tumour Research has welcomed a Government announcement on changes to the medicines price policy, alongside the new UK-US pharmaceutical deal.
The UK has agreed a deal to give the US zero tariffs on pharmaceutical products imported into the country, in return for the NHS spending more on medicines. Import taxes on medicines and treatments will remain at 0% for three years, the UK Government said.
As part of the deal, the Government has agreed to increase the upper threshold for which it can buy new medicines by 25%. It said this means that new medicines that might have previously been declined for not being cost-effective enough can be approved – such as breakthrough cancer treatments and therapies for rare diseases.
The agreement also includes lowering repayment rates on NHS drug prices to 15% from 2026. This is the amount that drugs firms pay back to the NHS to ensure it does not overspend its allocated budget for branded medicines.
As part of the announcement, Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “This vital deal will ensure UK patients get the cutting-edge medicines they need sooner, and our world-leading UK firms keep developing the treatments that can change lives.”
Our CEO Dan Knowles welcomed the announcement, sharing that the Charity was “highly optimistic about today’s developments”.
He said: “This new flexibility in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost effectiveness model will bring our patients greater hope.
“An invitation to access clinical trials should be an expectation for all cancer patients and the increase in life sciences net spend sets us firmly on the route to achieving this.
“Our sincere hope is that this announcement takes us further along the collaborative pathway for Government, the pharmaceutical industry and patient advocacy groups to make a difference in the options and outcomes for the most important group of all – patients.”
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