Multiple outlets report on a UK–US pharmaceutical pricing arrangement agreed in December and the impact it could have on NHS spending and patient outcomes. A new analysis in England, cited by The Guardian and discussed by Al Jazeera, suggests that the deal would require the NHS to divert significant funds from other services to pay more for new medicines. One figure cited is £45bn redirected from essential services to fund medicines, and the analysis projects potential excess deaths of more than 200,000, including a headline estimate of 229,000 by 2036. The outlets describe critics as arguing the agreement effectively prioritises higher medicine prices over wider NHS care capacity. The Guardian also reports that ministers defend the deal as supporting British drug exports by helping them avoid US tariffs and improving patient access to potentially life-extending treatments. In contrast, a letter published by The Guardian disputes the excess-deaths modelling as alarmist and argues it relies on incomplete data. Overall, the sources present competing views: the analysis projects large harm if budgets are constrained, while the government and some commentators argue it expands access to new therapies and is based on contested assumptions.
Analysis links US-UK drug pricing deal to possible 229,000 excess deaths
Multiple outlets report on a UK–US pharmaceutical pricing arrangement agreed in December and the impact it could have on NHS spending and patient outcomes. A new analysis in England, cited by The Guar...
- The US–UK drug pricing deal is agreed in December and affects NHS medicines purchasing.
- Analysis cited across outlets projects more than 200,000 excess deaths in England, including an estimate of 229,000 by 2036.
- The reports say the NHS would need to divert substantial funding from other services to pay for new medicines, with one figure cited as £45bn.
- Ministers defend the deal as helping UK drug exports avoid US tariffs and improving patient access to treatments.
- Critics dispute the excess-deaths projections, including concerns that the modelling and data are incomplete.
Many new medicines have reached NHS patients as a result of the government’s reformed pricing arrangements, writes Richard Torbett. Plus a letter from Nick HoileThe suggestion that the US-UK pharmaceutical agreement will result in excess deaths is alarmist and relies on a heavily critiqued approach to modelling how much the NHS can spend to generate health (US-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests, 1 July). It is underpinned by incomplete data.In just the last three months, many new medicines that would otherwise have been withheld or delayed have reached NHS patients as a result of the reformed pricing arrangements. These include treatments for several cancers, blood disorders and autoimmune conditions. This progress has resulted from an increase in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold, which had not moved in almost 25 years, despite the NHS falling behind comparable European countries on access to new treatments, particularly for cancer and rare diseases. Continue reading...
1 month agoThe NHS will divert billions of pounds from essential services to pay for new medicines, under the terms of the US-UK trade deal agreed in December, which could lead to more than 200,000 excess deaths, analysis has found.Ministers have defended the deal as a way of helping British drug exports avoid US tariffs and giving patients access to vital medication, but critics accuse the Labour party of caving into pressure from Donald Trump.Lucy Hough speaks to columnist Aditya Chakrabortty Continue reading...
1 month agoResearch finds that trade deal requiring UK to buy more medicines from US takes away money from other parts of NHS.
1 month agoA UK-US trade deal to appease Donald Trump could lead to 229,000 deaths by 2036 if NHS funding is diverted to pay Big Pharma more for medicines, it's been claimed
1 month agoAnalysis reveals extent of impact on NHS of placating Donald Trump over price of British medicine exportsThe NHS will have to divert £45bn from essential services to pay for new medicines under the terms of the UK-US trade deal agreed last December, leading to more than 200,000 avoidable deaths of patients, analysis has found.Ministers have defended the deal as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs, and giving patients in England access to potentially life-extending drugs that would otherwise be denied. Continue reading...
1 month agoUS-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests The GuardianBMJ paper reaction: "Trump medicines deal risks taking a wrecking ball to our health and our economy", campaigners say Global Justice Now'Those who sold Brexit promised power - what has been delivered is anything but' The MirrorUK-US trade deal will mean the NHS has to divert billions from other services to pay more for new medicines Medical XpressNHS drug pricing deal with Donald Trump will 'cause more deaths than Covid' The Mirror
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