US pharma giant makes a fool of Starmer, demands more NHS cash

It was only December last year when Labour bent over for Donald Trump and Big Pharma, giving companies a 25% pay increase for NHS drugs. It’s now March and these companies are already coming back for more.

Give us cash, or else

US firm Eli Lilly is demanding further rises in costs for the NHS. Not just another large increase, but regular ones. The president of the company’s international business has said the company is in discussions with Labour ministers about such payments.

He characertised the drug price increases as “innovative” rather than exploitative.

With support from Donald Trump’s administration, Eli Lilly and other Big Pharma corporations withheld billions in UK investments in 2025.

Big pharma vs. the British government

The fact that the UK relies on private corporations for its life saving drugs means they can rinse the NHS for more and more cash.

The price gouging makes it clear that big pharma should be brought in-house to relieve pressure on the NHS. Moneyed rewards can remain with nationalisation.

Scientists already receive prizes for breakthroughs and the same could be done in a public sector pharmaceutical division to further incentivise discoveries beyond public good.

The thing is, Labour health secretary Wes Streeting has taken a lot of donations from private healthcare. That includes £65,000 from Egerton Capital’s John Armitage, which has £169m invested in Eli Lilly.

Big pharma’s profit-milking goes way back. From 2007-2017, pharmaceutical company Concordia raised the price of a life-changing drug by 6000% as it was the only supplier.

Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice UK, has said:

Big Pharma is engaged in a capital strike against the British government – demanding submission so they can fleece our NHS. We need to face down the bullies. Public investment in medicine production outside these monopolists’ grip.

Dearden is quite right. The problem with the privatisation of essentials is that profit-seeking corporations own what people need. They can then hold the public to ransom through removing investment or existing drugs, as Eli Lilly is making obvious to most.

The solution is an in-house pharmaceutical division.

Featured image via the Canary