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Is NICE’s Pricing Influence On The Wane?

 
• By Leela Barham

The pricing of medicines may appear as a mystery to many; theories range from what the market will bear to prices being based on value. The Pink Sheet examines the role of two key players with influence in drug pricing in the UK – health technology assessment body NICE, which decides whether a product is value for money, and NHS England, which leads the tax-funded national health service in England and pays for new specialized drugs.

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The Pink Sheet Looks At The Interplay Between NICE and NHS England In Setting drug prices • Source: Shutterstock

In the UK there are specific factors to take into account when it comes to medicines pricing, including the view on cost-effectiveness of a medicine from NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England, which leads the national health service in England, also has a key role coming at it from the perspective of managing a limited budget for specialized medicines.

The interplay between the two bodies on the pricing front is complex and there are suggestions that NHS England is...

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