NHS drugs prices set to rise as Starmer to cave on Trump demands
Britain weighs medicine price increase to avoid Trump tariff war
- The UK is reportedly considering increasing drug prices for the NHS by raising the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) threshold by 25 per cent.
- This move is a response to threats from the Trump administration to impose new tariffs on the UK over what it perceives as anti-competitive drug pricing practices.
- Raising the NICE threshold would mean the UK pays more for medicines, despite resistance from the Treasury due to a lack of direct benefits.
- Officials briefed the Trump administration on these proposals earlier this week, aiming to avoid tariffs as high as 100 per cent on pharmaceutical imports.
- A UK government spokesperson confirmed advanced discussions with the US administration to secure the best outcome for the UK's pharmaceutical industry and the NHS.