LML continues to engage with external researchers in timely and important work on the pricing of medicines.
Dr Alice Cauduro, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Turin, visited LML to share insights from her comparative research on pharmaceutical expenditure governance in the UK and Italy. Her forthcoming article explores the legal, institutional, and economic frameworks that shape how each country manages the cost of reimbursed medicines within publicly funded health systems. She examines differences in price negotiation models, transparency mechanisms, and expenditure control tools—including the UK’s Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines (VPAG) and Italy’s “payback” mechanism for pharmaceutical overspending. Dr Cauduro highlights the potential risks these models pose to equitable access, warning that cost-containment strategies, if not carefully designed, may erode the sustainability of universal healthcare systems. Her work also raises broader questions about transparency, the influence of pharmaceutical companies, and the role of European coordination.
LML also met with Ms Sophie Wazlowski, an MPhil student in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Her research explores potential reforms to drug pricing in the United States, with a focus on value-based pricing, generic drug policy, and lobbying regulation. She draws on UK examples to suggest improvements to US programmes such as Medicare.