Labour pledges to set up state drug company and scrap prescription fees

‘Nobody should be worried about being able to afford the medicines they need,’ says Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn speaks during a rally in London. (PA)

A Labour government would set up a “publicly owned generic drugs manufacturer” and scrap prescription fees, the party has said.

Jeremy Corbyn has also promised that it will tackle the funding crisis for social care and introduce free personal care for the elderly.

“Healthcare is a human right,” Mr Corbyn said, ahead of a visit to a pharmacy on Wednesday.

“Nobody should be worried about being able to afford the medicines they need, and our NHS should not be priced out of providing the drugs people need because of pharmaceutical companies charging extortionate prices for medicines.

“The right to healthcare extends to the right to dignity and security in old age.”

The party said a Labour government would be prepared to use compulsory licensing if necessary, to secure medicines at a price the NHS could afford.

It also intends to make public funding for research conditional on any resulting medicines being priced affordably for all.

Officials hope the publicly owned manufacturer will supply medicines to the NHS for a lower cost than pharmaceutical companies.

The policy was first revealed at the Labour Party conference in Brighton last month.

At the time, party aides said the policy would deliver savings by reducing costs for medicines.

Labour also hopes its plans would enforce greater transparency about the true cost of medicines and the size of mark-ups being demanded from the NHS.

“Under the Tories, our social care sector is in a scandalous state, with one million people not getting the care they need,” Mr Corbyn said.

“Labour will right this wrong and introduce personal care free at the point of use, extending state-funded care to hundreds of thousands more people.”

He added: “The next Labour government will make a huge step towards ensuring that our health service is truly universal by scrapping prescription charges, and taking on the big pharmaceutical companies so our healthcare system puts public health ahead of private wealth.

“Labour will make sure that when the public pay for research the public benefit, and we will create a new publicly owned generic drugs manufacturer to supply cheaper medicines to our NHS – saving money and lives.”

Additional reporting by agencies