A High Court judgment on a judicial review brought by the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has dismissed the organisation’s claim that it was unfairly excluded from talks on the next Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS).
Figures from the ninth annual life sciences competitiveness indicators (LSCIs) report show that in 2022 the UK saw a substantial drop in foreign investment in its life sciences, compared to 2021. It fell to £1 billion from £1.9 billion, a drop of 47%. This saw the UK move down to ninth out of 18 comparator countries in 2021, from second place in 2021.
Four important themes for the life sciences were the focus of the Professional Industry Network Group (PING) conference, held in June 2023. These included the position of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) post the COVID-19 pandemic, the implications of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS) and the proposed Voluntary Scheme for Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG), plus whether there were adequate staffing and premises to support the sector.
The new report, ‘Promoting population health through pharmaceutical policy: The role of the UK Voluntary Scheme’, produced by researchers at the London School of Economics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and University of York, investigates the costs of prescription medicines to the NHS in England.
Discussions are beginning on the next iteration of the UK’s voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing and access (VPAS) and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has set out its stall to government. It has published a four-point proposal for a Voluntary Scheme for Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG), designed to reignite competitiveness and boost innovation in the life sciences sector, thereby improving health outcomes and the wider economy.
The 2023 annual conference of the UK’s Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) at the end of April had a theme of Growing the UK as a Global Hub for Life Sciences.
Despite opposition from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the UK government has confirmed its plans to raise the revenue clawback rate paid by pharma for branded medicines under the statutory scheme by just over 3%, from 24.4% to 27.5% for 2023.
In 2023 manufacturers of branded medicines will be required to return almost £3.3bn in sales revenue to the government under the 2019 Voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing and access (VPAS), according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
