The Department of Health and Social Care has published minutes of the 23 July operational review of the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG). They disclose agreed principles for its successor and proposals affecting payment calculations and managed access, rather than decisions made in October.
The next voluntary scheme is intended to run for seven years, compared with five years for the current 2024–2028 agreement. The principles cover growth, innovation, uptake, competition and links to investment. Detailed terms and payment rates have not been agreed.
The review also examined adjustments to the VPAG sales baseline following changes to NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold and the EQ-5D-5L quality-of-life value set. The intention is to avoid recovering the additional expenditure associated with those policy commitments through VPAG payments. The adjustment method and its incorporation into the 2027 rate calculation were still being developed.
NHS England proposed moving its substantive commercial-framework consultation from September to December 2026. It is expected to include primary-care rebates and managed-access principles, including continued reimbursement for existing patients when a medicine leaves managed access after a negative NICE recommendation. That change remains a proposal; existing contracts would not be amended.
The group also supported extending completion of the national local-formulary minimum dataset to January 2027 because of inconsistent local data systems.
The minutes therefore distinguish future commercial intentions from the arrangements currently in force. The successor scheme’s duration, proposed baseline adjustments and possible continuation of treatment after managed access remain subject to further agreement or implementation.
Source: Department of Health and Social Care
Link: 23 July 2026 minutes
Date: 9 October 2026
