ABPI comments on UK branded medicines pricing

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has responded to discussion in the UK media on the price of medicines in the country.

Alison Clough, acting chief executive of the ABPI, said: “The UK already lags behind the rest of Europe in investing in medicines and the NHS in England currently spends just under 10p in every £1 on branded medicines, which represents just under 10% of the overall NHS budget. Moreover, recent growth figures for branded medicines in the UK have been going down, raising concerns that NHS patients in the UK are losing out when it comes to accessing the latest medicines.”

She added that the ABPI is responsible for negotiating with the government on behalf of the pharma industry to establish the pricing of medicines in the UK. Under the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme the pharma industry contributes and pays for the growth of branded medicines used in the National Health Service. In 2015 alone, ABPI members will pay back nearly £1 billion ($1.5 billion) in payments to the UK government.