Burnham urged to ditch ‘dangerous’ UK-US NHS drug deal

Health organizations and doctors' groups are urging Andy Burnham, expected to become UK prime minister, to scrap a UK-US trade deal on medicines signed last December. The agreement could force the NHS to divert £44.7 billion from essential services by 2036 to pay for new drugs, analysis suggests, potentially leading to 229,000 excess deaths. Ministers defend the deal as beneficial for British drug exports and patient access to life-extending medicines.

In a letter coordinated by the SOS NHS coalition, 19 health organizations including Medact and Doctors' Association UK call on Burnham to make a "decisive break" with recent policy and prioritize NHS rebuilding. Critics argue the agreement prioritizes pharmaceutical company profits over patient welfare, while government officials contend it helps avoid US tariffs and provides access to potentially beneficial drugs otherwise unavailable.