Posted by Michael Wonder on 17 Aug 2016
UK patient groups urge government to negotiate drug prices
16 August 2016 - Arguing that cancer patients in the United Kingdom are missing out on new treatments, two leading charities are calling for the government to conduct direct price negotiations with drug makers and push for flexible pricing based on patient outcomes.
In making their case, Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer UK funded a report that found cancer patients in some countries of comparable wealth — such as Germany, France, Australia, Canada, and Sweden — generally have quicker access to cancer medicines. As a result, the charities maintain the approach taken in the UK to measure clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness should change.
Specifically, the charities suggest that NICE in England and Wales, and the Scottish Medicines Consortium should not decide both the clinical value of a drug and its cost effectiveness. The report, which was released on Monday, noted that in other countries, one public entity generally makes clinical recommendations while another negotiates with companies.
