Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 27 June (HL8632, HL8633), what assessment they have made of the impact of a reduced rebate for products that are rendered uneconomical by the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, as an alternative to increased prices for the National Health Service.

We are consulting on proposals to update the statutory scheme for branded medicines pricing, which is broadly commercially equivalent to the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. The consultation includes a proposal for a “lifecycle adjustment” mechanism that would provide a flat, lower payment for older products in more competitive markets. This proposal is intended to be pro-competition as older products with little to no competition in the market currently could access this lower payment if competition develops.