Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham of 14 February (HL5163), whether they will undertake a comparison of the impact of the UK's rebate rates in the voluntary scheme for branded medicines with the more favourable rebates in other European countries, given their declared ambitions for the UK life sciences sector.

We have no plans to undertake such a comparison. Differences in the structure of medicine pricing policies and systems make direct comparisons of payment percentages or rebates with other countries difficult and potentially misleading.

The Government is open to ideas about how a successor to the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access should operate from 2024 onwards. We will be considering a range of factors and will work with industry to consider learning from approaches in the United Kingdom and internationally, to agree a mutually beneficial successor that supports better patient outcomes; ensures the sustainability of National Health Service spend on branded medicines; and enables a strong UK life sciences industry.