GlaxoSmithKline's chief executive Sir Andrew Witty was granted an exclusive audience with the health secretary and other Whitehall officials to air his concerns about the UK's drug pricing scheme, just six months before the current version of the PPRS was finalised.

According to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by PMLiVE, Sir Andrew's May 2013 meeting with Jeremy Hunt took place at the height of contention over plans to change the country's drug pricing system.

At that point in the negotiations the government was still looking to heavily rely on a brand new value-based pricing (VBP) approach to assessing new medicine costs – a method that had been widely criticised by the pharma industry.

Minutes of the meeting have been heavily redacted, but it is seems - from copies of emails and letters provided to PMLiVE - that GSK's chief executive was attempting to set out his own PPRS package for the government's consideration.

For more details, go to: http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/pprs_a_tough_sell_to_gsk_726297