The committee of MPs in the United Kingdom has decided to bring about rationalization in the gradation of drugs, depending upon their potency and cost efficacy.

Drugs should undergo a process of rationing for greater accuracy in the National Health Screening (NHS). Ministers should vigorously back the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which has a pivotal role in marking out the worthy ones, according to MP committee in the UK, as per the news published by Guardian.

MPs suggest that all the drugs should be given an appraisal by Nice the moment they are launched in the market. Those drugs that work efficiently and are still cheap would be directly given by the NHS. Medicines that are more expensive would have to undergo a full appraisal that could require more than a year’s time. This will prove highly beneficial as it would encourage many drug companies to label lower prices for their drugs.

But Nice was finding it difficult to stamp its label by deciding the best of drugs. It’s because, the health service in the UK is inhibited by inadequate resources and mounting demand. Besides, there is a wide array of choices in drugs and the technologies employed. On the contrary, serious problems were found in the working of the appraisal group itself. The decisions on rationing were not even remotely based on empirical data and not related directly to pressures due to the NHS budget.

Eventually, a string of reform measures were decided upon, with plans of "at launch" appraisal of all medicines, to select the most clinically-effective and cost-efficient ones for immediate availability.

However, this drive by parliament for drug rationing has disappointed drug manufacturers. Drug firms contend that in Europe, British patients already have the slowest reach to new medicines and such rapid evaluation of medicines with stifling costs will only worsen this problem.

A RNCOS Research Analyst said, “The UK health industry is determined to bring about reforms. Its NHS program for the health sector will pull down the price of drugs. These reform moves are boosting the confidence of not only consumers but also the health industry. Poor people can thereby avail medical facilities at nominal charges and this will tremendously boost the image of the UK health industry.”

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