Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2022 to Question 14494, on Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, whether the (a) minutes and (b) further details of those meetings are in the public domain.
Answered by Edward Argar
The minutes of Operational Review meetings and the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access’ metrics pack are currently available through an internal Departmental collaboration tool, which is shared with stakeholders in industry. However, we plan to make this information available via GOV.UK in the near future.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the five highest health gain categories are in respect of the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, published in December 2018.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access is an agreement between the Department, NHS England, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and manufacturers or suppliers of branded health service medicines which have joined the Scheme. The Voluntary Scheme includes an objective of reaching the upper quartile of uptake, in relation to comparator countries, for the five highest health gain categories during the first half of the Voluntary Scheme. The five categories of medicines identified by NHS England to deliver high health gain are:
- Cystic fibrosis (CFTR modulators, ivacaftor, lumacaftor/ ivacaftor and tezacaftor/ ivacaftor);
- Severe asthma (biologics);
- Smoking cessation with varenicline;
- Atrial fibrillation and thromboembolism (anticoagulants); and
- Hepatitis C (antiretrovirals).
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.
Answered by Edward Argar
The effectiveness of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access is monitored through bi-annual Operational Review meetings held between the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement, the devolved administrations and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. A Mid-Scheme Review was carried out at the Operational Review meeting in September 2021.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to hold a public consultation on the next VPAS agreement.
Answered by Edward Argar
The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access is a voluntary agreement between the Department, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical industry. There is no statutory requirement for consultation. However, the Department will engage with both industry and patient groups in advance of negotiations. The Department is likely to hold a public consultation in 2023 on proposed updates to the statutory scheme for branded medicines pricing.