Posted by Michael Wonder on 18 Jun 2019
NICE to be sovereign: U.K. rejects Trump suggestion to include NHS in possible trade deal
18 June 2019 - In the face of the increasing odds of a hard Brexit, and the prospect of the need for bilateral trade negotiations between the U.S. and U.K., the Trump Administration has openly stated it views the National Health Service as a possible non-tariff trade barrier.
Last week, President Trump asserted at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May that "everything with a trade deal is on the table … NHS and anything else."
The Trump Administration and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America have indicated that in a bilateral trade agreement they would seek radical changes to the ways in which NICE, which serves the NHS, undertakes assessments of new medical technologies. Measuring the value of medical technologies may be considered by the U.S. to be a non-tariff trade barrier.
