UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Nearly 300,000 people protested against NHS drug price rises as the UK government faces pressure from the US over soaring medicine costs.
As reported by The Independent, about 300,000 people have protested proposed changes to NHS drug approval procedures.
According to last week’s reports, the NHS in England could pay more for drugs to avoid US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
What protests and petitions reveal about NHS drug pricing?
Politico said Washington officials were briefed on proposals to raise England’s NHS spending limit by 25%.
Over 295,000 people have signed three petitions asking the government not to change NHS spending rules, campaign groups 38 Degrees and Just Treatment said.
The government is in talks with the US to get the best deal. Experts say it could give NHS patients faster access to treatments but may raise costs.
UK petitions to stop NHS drug price hikes
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence evaluates medicines by looking at their clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness. It also considers the impact of new medicines on the NHS budget.
This assessment uses quality-adjusted life years, which measure both the length and quality of life a treatment delivers.
Medicines that cost £20,000 to £30,000 per additional QALY are generally considered good value for NHS spending.
Increasing the NHS spending threshold would allow patients easier access to expensive drugs, but would raise overall medicine costs for the health service.
Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance said the NHS will need to pay more for medicines to prevent further pharmaceutical firms from pulling investment out of the UK.
UK drug investments have slowed as companies face pricing pressures. Industry bosses told MPs that this makes the UK less appealing than the US.
Reports say Trump wants US drug prices matched globally and may impose 100% tariffs. Campaigners will submit new petitions to the Health Department on Monday.
What did Matthew McGregor say about NHS drug price hikes?
Matthew McGregor, chief executive at 38 Degrees, said,
“The Government is currently sitting across the negotiating table from Big Pharma reps, but they need to remember who’s standing behind them: 250,000 angry voters who reject Trump’s bullying trade threats.”
He added,
“A quarter of a million members of the public are clear – the Government must reject demands for higher prices for vital NHS medicine.”
What did Diarmaid McDonald say on rising NHS medicine costs?
Director of Just Treatment, Diarmaid McDonald, stated,
“It’s a clear attempt to shake down the UK taxpayer for as much money as possible and will take precious funds away from other vital NHS care and send it into the pockets of rich pharma executives.”
He added,
“It’s really important that the UK Government doesn’t give in to this bullying.”
Donald Trump’s views on raising drug prices abroad
Donald Trump is urging the world’s largest drug companies to raise prices abroad. He has written to pharmaceutical firms, including Britain’s GSK and AstraZeneca, proposing lower prices for Americans.
In the letters sent to the heads of 17 medicine firms, Mr Trump stated that they “negotiate harder with foreign freeloading nations” and added that “increased revenues abroad must be repatriated to lower drug prices for American patients and taxpayers.”
The White House confirmed that the president is willing to act on
“trade policy to support manufacturers in raising prices internationally provided that increased revenues abroad are reinvested directly into lowering prices for American patients and taxpayers.”
Mr Trump said previously in 2020,
“In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidising socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home.”
He added,
“So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country.”
What did Alex Schriver say about reducing drug price gaps?
Alex Schriver of the US drug industry body PhRMA stated,
“To reduce price differentials with other countries, policymakers should rein in health care middlemen driving up costs for Americans and get foreign countries to pay their fair share for innovative medicines.”
Key facts about the medicine costs in the UK
In the UK, medicine prices are carefully controlled. NICE makes sure new medicines are affordable and worth the cost for patients and the NHS.
As of 2025, NHS prescription charges are £9.90 per item. Meanwhile, private prices for some drugs, such as Mounjaro, have risen significantly to align with other developed countries.
