The United Kingdom has well established systems for controlling costs and ensuring we get value for money for spending on medicines. For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the UK can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.

Where competition does not appear to be working, the Department alerts the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Where the CMA finds that a company has breached competition law by charging excessive prices it can impose a fine as well as order companies to reduce their prices. In those instances, the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the National Health Service. Investigations and infringements decisions by the CMA are publicly available on the CMA’s website.

Whilst there are currently no plans to change the dosage interval for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, or for the other vaccine presently being deployed, this is kept under review.