Big pharma is at war with the UK, and the government can’t back down now | Nick Dearden

The article highlights the escalating tensions between the UK government and the pharmaceutical industry, also known as "big pharma." It states that major pharmaceutical companies have withdrawn around £2 billion in proposed investments from the UK, with some even threatening to withhold new medicines from the National Health Service (NHS) patients. The article mentions that companies like Merck, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novartis have either scrapped research facilities, cancelled partnerships with the NHS, or put investments "on hold." BMS, in particular, is threatening to "walk away" from the UK market if the NHS doesn't agree to the price it wants to charge for a new schizophrenia drug. The article suggests that this conflict reflects the industry's longstanding desire for the NHS to pay more for its drugs, and that the government cannot back down now. The author, Nick Dearden, is the director of Global Justice Now, a non-governmental organization.