Trump wants pharmaceutical companies to cut the cost of drugs for Americans and has even threated to ban exports to other countries until it happens.
Trump asked them to guarantee the US “most favored nation” prices for new drugs, threatening to deploy every tool in his arsenal if he needs to. If firms do cut the price they charge to the US for their drugs, they may pass that cost onto other countries such as the UK.
It means the NHS could be forced to pay more for the same medicines, and patients could struggle to find prescriptions as independent businesses operating at a loss will be forced to close their doors.
But industry experts have warned that any move that could disrupt trade and therefore push up the price of medicines in the UK would threaten NHS budgets.
“If the Department of Health says ‘we’re only prepared to pay this much’ and the going rate is higher than that, then the manufacturers and suppliers will have to decide whether or not they market in the UK.”
Trump wants pharmaceutical companies to cut the cost of drugs for Americans and has even threated to ban exports to other countries until it happens (Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
In 2023, this lead to shortages and price surges for atorvastatin – a statin to treat high cholesterol and prevent heart disease – and omeprazole – which treats heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux, as well as stomach ulcers.
Newer medicines that are more profitable are likely to be most affected, he said. “They’re going to be typically the kinds of medicines that you’d often get in hospital for relatively serious conditions – or products like the weight-loss drugs that people have been hearing about, GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Pharmacies could fold as drug costs rise
Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said pharmacy owners were already struggling with the cost of supplying patients with medicines they do not get fully reimbursed for.
Heart medications such as amiodarone, antibiotics to treat sore throat and Scarlet Fever in children are among the drugs that have doubled in price, while prescription painkillers such as cocodamol are around 25 per cent more expensive than before, he added.
Uncertainty in the global supply chain and any forthcoming impact from could mean dispensing more drugs at a loss (Photo: Julien Behal/PA Wire)“The Government’s come up with a concession price of £38.49, so every time I dispense this medication per box, I have lost £22.”
An average of four pharmacies a week closed their doors in 2024, according to analysis published earlier this year by the NPA.
“Patients will be affected. They won’t be able to access their medication and no one will be better off as a result,” he said.
The UK spends considerably less on medicines than comparable countries, and the US pays multiple times more for the same types of medicines available at low cost in the UK.
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Read MoreBut he urged patients not to worry and warned against stockpiling prescriptions pre-emptively, as any unnecessary additional demand could put strain on supplies.
Dayan added: “The number of times that Trump has announced medicines tariffs certainly suggests that there is a risk [he will follow through] – regardless of what international norms there are, he’s going to try it.”
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