US-UK drug deal: Burnham urged to pull out over 229 000 excess deaths warning

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UK MPs and health experts urge the upcoming prime minister Andy Burnham to exit a US-UK drug deal due to its potential to cause 229,000 excess deaths. The deal mandates increased spending on branded medicines, leading to cuts in NHS services and higher drug cost thresholds, which researchers estimate will have deadly consequences.

MPs and health experts have urged the soon-to-be prime minister Andy Burnham to withdraw from the US-UK drug deal after an analysis in The BMJ showed its deadly cost.The deal has committed the UK to doubling the proportion of gross domestic product it spends on new branded medicines from 0.3% to 0.6%.It has also forced the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to increase its cost effectiveness threshold for drugs from £20 000-£30 000 to £25 000-£35 000.1Researchers calculated that the agreement could lead to 229 000 excess deaths over the next decade. This is because the NHS will have to make cuts to existing services to pay for the increased drug costs—estimated at £45bn for England alone.2Speaking to The BMJ at a parliamentary event on the deal on 13 July, Sally Gainsbury—senior policy analyst for think tank Nuffield Trust, highlighted that Burnham, a former health secretary, had...