UK preparing to meet ‘inevitable’ increased drug costs after US talks

By Alistair Smout

LONDON (Reuters) -The British government is preparing to meet the “inevitable” increase in the cost of some drugs following talks over pharmaceutical sector pricing and tariffs with the United States, Science Minister Patrick Vallance said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured Europe to pay more for U.S. drugs, and major pharma companies have halted investments in Britain, citing a difficult operating environment.

Vallance has acknowledged that the country’s National Health Service needs to reverse a trend of declining spending on medicines, and on Tuesday he said that the ongoing talks with Washington would mean the costs of certain drugs would go up.

“I think that some degree of price increase is inevitable,” he told lawmakers at a committee hearing, adding exi