Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of changes to the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing Access (VPAS) rebate on (a) clinical trials investment in the UK and (b) the prioritisation of the UK as a launch market for innovative treatments.

The impact of higher payment percentages in both the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS), and the Statutory Scheme on research and development investment, on the prioritisation of the United Kingdom as launch market for innovative treatment was considered as part of a consultation process in 2022 to update the statutory scheme to control the costs of branded health service medicines. It is also being considered in a current consultation.

Full details of the current consultation are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-update-to-the-2023-statutory-scheme-to-control-the-costs-of-branded-health-service-medicines

Full details of the earlier 2022 consultation are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/update-to-the-statutory-scheme-to-control-the-costs-of-branded-health-service-medicines