Due to its foundation on socialist values, Donald Trump was not inclined to support the NHS.
What particularly irked him was the NHS’s adeptness at securing favorable deals. The extensive reach of a nationalized healthcare system like the NHS made it impervious to pressure from major pharmaceutical companies. However, with Trump assuming the presidency, this dynamic has shifted.
Reports suggest that the UK government is contemplating a 25% increase in the NHS “value for money” benchmarks to offer higher payments to pharmaceutical firms, many of which are U.S.-based.
There is an argument resonating with Trump’s stance. Americans often shell out exorbitant sums for medications that the NHS secures at significantly lower costs.
The privatized healthcare model in the U.S. hampers its ability to negotiate advantageous deals like a unified national health service. However, this issue stems from their system’s shortcomings, not ours.
Trump argues that the high drug prices paid by Americans subsidize a significant portion of the research and development costs essential for pharmaceutical advancements, which the NHS and similar healthcare systems worldwide benefit from at reduced rates.
To coerce countries like the UK into paying more for drugs, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs as high as 100% on pharmaceutical imports. Such tariffs could severely impact the UK’s pharmaceutical sector, prompting the government to engage in intense negotiations to seek a resolution.
Meanwhile, major pharmaceutical companies saw an opportunity to weaken the NHS’s collective bargaining power and swiftly mobilized their substantial public relations campaigns. Merck (MSD) abandoned plans for a £1 billion research center in London, opting to shift its life science research operations to the U.S.
AstraZeneca halted a £200 million laboratory project in Cambridge and previously scrapped a £450 million vaccine site in Liverpool. Eli Lilly also paused a planned £279 million investment in a UK incubator lab, following Sanofi’s closure of labs in Cambridge last year and relocation of work to Boston.
This development has unsettled the government. According to a report by <a aria-label="Politico revealedLink opens in a new tab." class="TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/britain-eyes-nhs-drug-spending-hike-to-stave-off-trump
