NHS patients will lose access to new cutting-edge treatments because of skyrocketing costs, the pharmaceutical giant Novartis has claimed amid a row over drug pricing deals.
The warning comes after talks over the cost of medicines for the UK between Health Secretary Wes Streeting and pharma firms broke down last week.
A body assesses whether a new drug is value for money before approving it for use on the NHS, but Novartis said its methods were outdated and made it harder for innovative drugs to be approved and launched.
Norvartis's UK boss Johan Kahlstrom said costs meant the UK was "largely uninvestable", but Streeting has vowed he will not allow firms to "rip off" taxpayers.
Swiss firm Novartis said it was not considering the UK for major new investments in manufacturing, research, or advanced technology because of "systemic barriers".
The firm, which employs 78,000 people globally, said patients were losing access to or missing out entirely on new treatments as a result of the current situation.
It said due to the "declining competitiveness" of the UK market, the company had "already been unable to launch several medicines" in the country "for public reimbursement - medicines that are, or soon will be, available to patients in other European countries".
"The concern is that future launches and research investment could be further deprioritised for the UK if the environment remains uncompetitive," the company added.
Source: BBC News, 27 August 2025
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