Sir Keir Starmer has raised the issue of looming tariffs on pharmaceutical products with US President Donald Trump on his visit to Scotland.
Health experts in Britain have warned that such tariffs may push up the prices of medicines made outside of the UK, which could in turn impact NHS budgets.
Downing Street said the UK was optimistic that it would secure protections due to the recently-signed economic prosperity deal, agreed in May, but there is not yet a commitment to continuing tariff-free trading on medicines.
Asked by reporters whether his plans for tariffs on medicines would affect the UK, the US president told reporters: “We will be announcing on pharmaceuticals sometime in the very near future.
He added: “But you also have a good pharmaceutical business – we’ll be dealing with you on pharmaceuticals also – and we certainly feel a lot better with your country working on pharmaceuticals for America than some of the other countries that were… with the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn’t be using it as a block.”
Others have argued that it is too early to know the kind of impact any tariffs would have.
“Medicine shortages and problems in the supply chain can be devastating for patients whose health depends on a reliable and predictable supply of medication,” he said.
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“Ongoing speculation about tariffs and other trade rules has already caused uncertainty for the UK medicines supply chain, which is complex and dependent on many international factors, including events in the US.
Tariffs are expected to increase the cost to US drug companies of importing vital ingredients, which could push up the prices of the pharmaceutical products they in turn supply around the world.
But the US is still crucially important for certain drugs that cannot be bought elsewhere, especially the latest branded medications.
Health experts also warned that tariffs could also push up the price of the drugs produced by European-based multinationals – since they face tariffs in selling to America and extra production costs for any operations they have going on inside the US.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We secured UK preferential access to the US market for pharmaceuticals in the case of new US tariffs in the future, and we’ll absolutely continue to work closely with the United States to get the best deal for the industry and deliver benefits for both our countries.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The UK has well-established ways of managing the cost of medicines and clear processes in place to protect against risks to supply. Our trade agenda would never stop this.”
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