Wed, 27 Aug 2025

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 NHS to lose out on new drugs, pharma firm warns

The claims from pharmaceutical giant Novartis comes amid a row over drug pricing deals.

* Novartis claims that NHS patients will lose access to new treatments due to rising costs and outdated assessment methods.
* The company's UK boss, Johan Kahlstrom, said the country is "largely uninvestable" due to systemic barriers, including high rebates for the government on sales to the NHS.
* The rebate rate has increased to 23.5%, triple the rate in Germany, making it harder for pharma companies to invest in the UK market.
* Novartis says patients are already missing out on new treatments and that future launches could be deprioritized if the environment remains uncompetitive.
* The UK government claims it made a "generous" offer to accelerate growth in the pharmaceutical sector, but the industry refused to accept it.
* Health Secretary Wes Streeting said drug companies were "short-sighted" for not accepting the offer and that he will not allow them to "rip off" taxpayers.
* Novartis and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) have criticized the UK's assessment methods, saying they are outdated and make it harder for innovative drugs to be approved.
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