UK ministers have promised the US that NHS medicines spending will rise by £1.5bn over the next three years, as the government seeks new powers to increase further the price paid by the health service for drugs.
The deal to secure an exemption on the pharmaceutical import levies threatened by US President Donald Trump includes a promise to lift British medicines spending from 0.3 per cent to 0.35 per cent of GDP — or £1.5bn — by the end of 2028, said people familiar with the agreement.
The pledge is likely to increase pressure for further changes to NHS prices after the UK agreed last week to increase spending on new medicines by 25 per cent and overhaul health service value-for-money rules.