BRIEFING: Trump & big pharma's push to drive up drug prices for the NHS
*** See the bottom of this page for a template email to share this briefing with your MP! ***
Right now pressure is building on the UK to spend more money on medicines for the NHS. Talks between the government and industry to agree a new deal on the health service’s bill for patented medicines have broken down. From much of the news reporting this seems like a predictable outcome resulting from an NHS that is failing to keep pace with other countries’ spending, and short changing drug companies. But the truth is much more complex.
Here are ten key facts about the push to divert more NHS funds to drive up pharma company profits ⬇️
Collusion between Trump and big pharma to force up the prices the NHS must pay for medicines has become a relentless and multifaceted campaign. These are not the actions of an industry that cares about the NHS or its patients. But a sector determined to increase its profits, is working in a coordinated and calculated way with an authoritarian leader to undermine our health system. Experts suspect this coordinated action might amount to a breach of the UK’s competition laws, so we’ve written with allies demanding authorities investigate.
This push is part of Trump’s widely discredited plan to bring down US drug prices. That plan argues that forcing other countries to pay more for medicines will lead to pharma voluntarily dropping prices in the US. But Trump has swallowed convenient industry talking points that completely misdiagnose the problem. As evidenced by the market reaction to his policy actions, pharma likely expects Trump’s plan will result in higher medicine prices in the US and everywhere else.
In truth, the cripplingly high drug prices seen in the US are a domestic policy failure borne of their lack of effective price control mechanisms and a failure to tackle patent monopoly abuse. It causes untold harm to people across the US every year. We can’t let them pick apart our effective price control framework and export one of America’s most destructive injustices to the UK.
Right now we spend too much on medicines - and they’re increasingly bad value for money. Prices of medicines have been growing rapidly and they will keep sky-rocketing. Pharma is already one of the most profitable industries in the world. Diverting further funds from other parts of the NHS as its overall budget barely grows will worsen patient outcomes. Dismantling price controls is a huge threat to the future of our health and the NHS.
But rather than having a comprehensive public debate about this vital policy challenge, pharma is funding far too many of the charities and groups supposed to defend patients’ interests. This huge industry has bought silence, undermining the democratic process, meaning it is not being properly held to account.
Pharma has been arguing NICE, the other price control mechanisms, and regulatory and tax frameworks are flawed for decades and they have successfully lobbied for ever more generous laws and regulations. There is nothing unique about the circumstances we face, except how empowered pharma feels, with Trump in the White House, to weaponise the current political context to maximise their profits.
Pharma, government and the media are all portraying a false choice - spend more on medicines and save UK pharma jobs, or spend less and lose those jobs to other countries. In truth there are a wide range of other factors - like publicly funded R&D infrastructure, qualified personnel, trial capacity, and state subsidies - explaining where and why pharma jobs are created.
Furthermore, this analysis completely ignores the central challenge we’re facing - big pharma monopoly power is holding us to ransom. Unless we address this, we will always face demands for ever higher prices and more favourable trading conditions regardless of the effect on patients.
There is growing interest in the US for alternative models of drug development and production that reward innovation without the monopolies and massive unconditional subsidies that transfer so much power and wealth to pharma corporations. The UK should be taking this opportunity to explore these alternatives. In doing so they would reduce the leverage the industry has over them in these negotiations.
Pioneering an alternative R&D model for medicines could generate far more high quality UK jobs and investment, maximise our incredible national research and healthcare assets, and deliver far more affordable and effective medicines that would benefit patients on the NHS and around the world. That is a positive future for the UK that the government should be embracing.
Help to raise the alarm by sending his briefing to your MP!
Find the email address for your local MP using this tool. Then simple copy and paste the text below, fill in your MP’s name and your name, and send it off to them. ⬇️
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SUBJECT: Please challenge Trump and big pharma’s attacks on our NHS
Dear [MP NAME],
I am writing to you as a constituent who is deeply concerned about Donald Trump and big pharma’s efforts to pressure the UK into accepting higher drug prices for the NHS.
If they get their way, patients’ access to vital medicines could be threatened, and even more of the NHS’ precious funds will diverted away towards boosting big pharma profits.
Just Treatment has created a briefing setting out ten key facts about Trump & big pharma's push to drive up drug prices for the NHS, which you can access here: https://justtreatment.org/s/Ten-key-facts-on-Trump-big-pharmas-push-to-drive-up-drug-prices-for-the-NHS.pdf
Our government must stand firm in the face of Trump and big pharma’s reckless demands, and challenge the deeply flawed monopoly model which enables this kind of dangerous behaviour in the first place.
I ask that you raise these concerns with the Prime Minister, the Health Secretary and the Trade Secretary, and do all that you can to urge the government to ensure that patients and the NHS are not ripped off, and that big pharma profits are not put before patients’ access to healthcare.
I look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]