Blame big pharma, not the NHS, for drug prices

The government must act to stop firms overcharging the NHS for cancer treatments, argues Tim Bierley

I can’t imagine the distress of knowing that promising cancer treatments like Enhertu exist, yet being unable to access them because the price is too high for the NHS (Women in England and Wales denied ‘exciting’ drug that can stop breast cancer spreading, 3 June).

With the heavy encouragement of pharmaceutical companies, the blame for such shortfalls often falls on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the public body that advises the NHS on whether medicines represent value for money.