UK government fleshes out plans for drug pricing system which, it says, will benefit patients

Proposals that will in future enable more the UK’s National Health Service patients to access innovative medicines were set out by Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley yesterday. The plans for pricing drugs according to how they benefit patients, the NHS and wider society were published in a consultation: A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines.

The consultation looks at how a medicine’s value can best be measured and reflected in the price the NHS pays for it. The new arrangements would mean that more licensed and effective drugs will be available to NHS patients and clinicians at a price that reflects the value they bring.

While the current system of pricing medicines has tried to achieve a balance between reasonable prices for both the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry, it does not sufficiently promote patient access or innovation effectively.