Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Department is responsible for monitoring of pharmaceutical provisions within the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal; and whether he plans to update Parliament on those provisions.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

DBT Secretary of State made a written statement to Parliament on 2 December.

This deal is the first and only agreement with the US that secures zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country. It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.

The Department for Business and Trade remains the lead department for EPD negotiations.

There will be further work to finalise underpinning details.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what legal instrument establishes Most Favoured Nation mitigations in the deal with the US on pharmaceuticals.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We have secured the first and only deal with the US that delivers zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country.

It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.

The UK and the US have confirmed the headline terms of this deal. Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the mitigations are under the US Most Favoured Nation drug pricing initiative as referred to in the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The US has committed to ensuring that access to medicines and launches of new innovative medicines in the UK are not inadvertently impacted by the US’s ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy, thereby reducing the risk to the UK where the NHS has managed to secure lower prices for medicines.

Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what mechanisms within the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will ensure that pharmaceutical products launched in the UK with a lower price than in the US will not trigger Most Favoured Nation rebates.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We have secured the first and only deal with the US that delivers zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country.

It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.

The UK and the US have confirmed the headline terms of this deal. Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the US Trade Representative's press release entitled U.S. Government Announces Agreement in Principle with the United Kingdom on Pharmaceutical Pricing, published on 1 December 2025, what the other commitments referred to are.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

As set out by the Secretary of State in his written statement to Parliament on 2 December, we have secured a zero percent tariff on all pharmaceuticals exported to the US - the lowest rate offered to any country. The UK has also secured preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports for three years, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technologies.

This agreement was supported by the government’s commitment to investing 25% more in new innovative medicines – the first major increase in over two decades – which will support improved access to new medicines for NHS patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the capped VPAG rate referred to in the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will only apply to pharmaceutical products of US origin.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The capped rate applies to all newer medicines, not just pharmaceutical products originating from the United States.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 97685, whether any additional commitments have been made by the UK in relation to UK-US agreement on pharmaceutical in addition to the increased spending on innovative medicines and the cap on VPAG rates.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has secured a zero percent tariff on all pharmaceuticals exported to the US - the lowest rate offered to any country. We have also secured preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports for three years, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technologies.

This agreement was supported by the government’s commitment to investing 25% more in new innovative medicines – the first major increase in over two decades – which will support improved access to new medicines for NHS patients.

Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing. We will share more information when we are able to.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 97256, what his planned timeframe is for the further work to finalise underpinning details to be completed.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has secured a zero percent tariff on all pharmaceuticals exported to the US - the lowest rate offered to any country. We have also secured preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports for three years, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technologies.

This agreement was supported by the government’s commitment to investing 25% more in new innovative medicines – the first major increase in over two decades – which will support improved access to new medicines for NHS patients.

Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing. We will share more information when we are able to.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the full legal texts establishing the MFN mitigations with the US.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has secured a zero percent tariff on all pharmaceuticals exported to the US - the lowest rate offered to any country. We have also secured preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports for three years, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technologies.

This agreement was supported by the government’s commitment to investing 25% more in new innovative medicines – the first major increase in over two decades – which will support improved access to new medicines for NHS patients.

Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing. We will share more information when we are able to.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK is (a) excluded from, (b) partially exempted from and (c) otherwise subject to special treatment under the United States’ Most Favoured Nation drug pricing policy.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Thanks to strong United Kingdom support for innovation, the UK has secured mitigations under the United States’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ drug pricing initiative so that we will continue to ensure access to the latest treatments. This will encourage pharmaceutical companies from around the world to prioritise the UK for early launches of their new medicines, meaning British patients could be among the first globally to access breakthrough treatments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from which Department’s budget the additional NHS medicines spend following the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will be funded.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Every patient deserves access to the best possible treatment. This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences sector.

Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. However, the final costs will clearly depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these. This is not something that we can pre-empt at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market, and which are assessed as approved for use on the NHS accordingly.

At the Spending Review we delivered a record real terms increase for day-to-day spending for the NHS in England up to April 2029. This deal will be funded by allocations made at the Spending Review, where front line services will remain protected through the record funding secured.

Future year funding will be settled at the next Spending Review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 25% net increase in prices for new medicines and the 15% VPAG repayment cap on annual NHS medicines spend.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Every patient deserves access to the best possible treatment. This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences sector.

Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. However, the final costs will clearly depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these. This is not something that we can pre-empt at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market, and which are assessed as approved for use on the NHS accordingly.

At the Spending Review we delivered a record real terms increase for day-to-day spending for the NHS in England up to April 2029. This deal will be funded by allocations made at the Spending Review, where front line services will remain protected through the record funding secured.

Future year funding will be settled at the next Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the consultation entitled Draft regulations to commence Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, which was published on 7 May 2025.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As per the commitment made in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July 2025, on 15 December 2025 the Department made regulations implementing Sections 61 – 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 and published its response to the consultation which ran earlier this year.

The regulations will come into force on 7 April 2026.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it is still her Department’s policy to finalise s61-64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, relating to renewal agreements, by the end of 2025.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As per the commitment made in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July 2025, on 15 December 2025 the Department made regulations implementing Sections 61 – 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 and published its response to the consultation which ran earlier this year.

The regulations will come into force on 7 April 2026.

Found: Dr Huq: I remember going to see Julia Lopez about it.

Found: Dr Huq: I remember going to see Julia Lopez about it.