Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

(asked on 16th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, how many opportunities there have been for pharmaceutical industry trade bodies to input into NHS England’s commercial framework; and what steps the Government is taking to secure the participation of industry trade bodies.


Answered by
Seema Kennedy Portrait
Seema Kennedy
This question was answered on 22nd July 2019

NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, are developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England.

The commercial framework will support an integrated pricing and access process and is being tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England and NHS Improvement are actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to outline progress on the development of the commercial framework. The consultation on the draft framework is anticipated to be launched in Quarter 3 2019 with consultation events to be held in Manchester and London, and implementation of the commercial framework is expected to follow.

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