Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is subject to the 36 month grace period on price controls as outlined in the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access; and if he will make a statement.

Under the terms of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, new active substances launched within 36 months of licensing of the first indication in the United Kingdom will benefit from freedom of list pricing at launch. A decision has not been made on whether the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a licensed branded medicine known as Comirnaty, qualifies as a new active substance.