The US-UK pharmaceutical agreement has already delivered tangible benefits to NHS patients, with many new medicines reaching those in need within the last three months. Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), argues that claims of excess deaths from the deal are alarmist and based on incomplete data.
New Medicines Reach NHS Patients
In the past quarter, treatments for several cancers, blood disorders, and autoimmune conditions have been made available on the NHS thanks to reformed pricing arrangements. This progress stems from an increase in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness threshold, which had remained unchanged for nearly 25 years. During that time, the NHS fell behind comparable European countries in access to new treatments, particularly for cancer and rare diseases.
Criticism of Alarmist Claims
Torbett stated: "No one disputes that medicines require sustainable funding. But framing a modest, long-overdue adjustment to how the NHS values innovation as a public health threat is inappropriate. It ignores the impact on patients benefiting from or waiting for life-changing treatments. It also fails to account for the opportunity to increase investment and consequently the resources available to fund the NHS and the next generation of treatments."
Nick Hoile, senior director and chief operating officer for health at MHP Group, added that scrutiny of the deal should acknowledge existing inequities. Government figures show that for every 100 patients receiving a newly launched medicine in comparable countries during its first year on the market, only 48 receive it in England. Hoile said: "The deal aims to end this injustice. Critics should explain how they would bring care for British patients closer to the standards in comparable countries."
