London (PRWEB UK) 15 May 2015

The UK’s Department of Health has said there will be no further price cuts for branded medicines not funded via the voluntary Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) in a move welcomed by the industry. The DH announced in November 2013 that it would reduce the cost of these statutory medicines by 15% as part of wider drug pricing negotiations and there were concerns that this would be reduced further for 2015. These immediate fears have now been allayed following a consultation process although the industry remains concerned about the long-term pricing plan for these drugs.

Stephen Whitehead, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said: “Whilst it is good news for now that no further price cuts will be imposed on branded medicines on top of the 15% imposed last year, I am concerned that there may be further cuts to come.” Also weighing in was the Ethical Medicines Industry Group, representing the smaller drug companies in the UK. The group’s chairman Leslie Galloway said that these firms had been “unfairly penalised” by the DH’s decision not to introduce a taper to the regulations to benefit smaller pharma companies. This taper would have meant that companies with annual NHS sales of up to £25m would have seen £5m of their sales exempt from the price cut. “EMIG members will be disappointed that an opportunity has been missed to champion and stimulate smaller companies to invest and innovate,” said Galloway.

(Source: ‘No further price cut for non-PPRS drugs in UK’, 2 Feb 2015, PMLiVE)

Against this backdrop, SMi’s 21st annual European Pharmaceutical Pricing & Reimbursement conference, taking place on 5-6 October 2015, will feature senior executives from both the APBI and EMIG speaking at the event.

APBI’s Director of Pricing & Reimbursement, David Watson on Day 2 will be leading a session titled ‘Changes in the PPRS scheme to enhance both the health and wealth of the UK’ discussing:

Ensuring the future availability of new and improved medicines in this and other countries

Developments in the PPRS scheme and NICE

Future developments under the PPRS scheme

EMIG’s Chairman, Leslie Galloway on Day 1 will be hosting a roundtable discussion: ‘Does the PPRS work for patients and innovation?

How is the current PPRS working?

What are the benefits to the NHS?

What is the impact on innovation?

This year’s conference programme will feature leading senior industry figures from industry bodies, big pharma, biotech and academia discussing these latest updates while highlighting strategies to help you prepare your market access strategy for the evolving global healthcare market, inform and align your strategic decision making and understand the diverse payer landscape. International changes in policy will also be discussed along with an in-depth focus on biosimilar drugs and the impact that they have had on pricing & reimbursement through nations across Europe.

Benefits of attending:

Evaluate new models for European reimbursement

Develop understanding of tiered pricing options with case studies from GSK

Gain further insight into current HTA policies

Receive invaluable information from field leaders through in-depth case studies

Learn about changes in UK P&R policy following the UK elections from industry bodies EMIG and the ABPI

Speaker Panel includes:

Leslie Galloway, Chairman, Ethical Medicines Industry Group

Alexander Natz, Secretary General, European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs

Janice Haigh, Practice Leader Market Access, Quintiles

Ken Walsh, Head Emerging Markets Pricing, GSK

Toros Sahin, Head of Market Access & Health Economics, Sanofi Turkey

David Watson, Director of Pricing & Reimbursement, ABPI

Alexander Roediger, Director European Union Affairs, MSD

Leyla Hannbeck, Head of Pharmacy, National Pharmaceutical Association Ltd

Eric Low, CEO, Myeloma UK

To view the full speaker line-up and complete two-day conference programme, visit: http://www.pharmaceuticalpricing.co.uk/prweb

Plus, don’t miss the half-day interactive post-conference workshop on:

HTA Uncovered

Anke Van Engen, Principal – Advisory Services & Janice Haigh, Practice Leader Market Access, Quintiles | 8.30am – 12.30pm, 7th October 2015, London, UK






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