The UK boss of US drugmaker Moderna, which gained prominence with its COVID-19 vaccine, has defended the country against claims that it has the worst drug pricing in Europe. Darius Hughes, Modernas UK general manager, defended the country during the opening of a £150m vaccine facility in Oxfordshire. This comes after MSD, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly announced they would either ditch or put on hold their planned UK investments due to a dispute over drug pricing between the government and the pharmaceutical industry.
Hughes said that the company would continue to invest in the UK as part of its £1bn, decade-long partnership with the government. He stated that Moderna would be investing heavily in research and development across that period.
On Wednesday, Dave Ricks, Eli Lilly’s chief executive, called the UK “probably the worst country in Europe” for drug prices in a statement to the Financial Times. Other pharmaceutical executives have made similar comments.
Hughes disputed this claim, stating that Moderna is in a different position. As vaccines are not part of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG), the company does not have to deal with the same issues. The payment for vaccines is done through central contracts, and the uptake of innovative vaccines is good across the NHS.
The new Moderna centre at Harwell science campus will produce mRNA jabs for the NHS’s seasonal vaccination programmes and will also research the use of mRNA science in areas like cancer, rare diseases, and immune disorders. The site can produce up to 100m mRNA vaccine doses a year, which could be increased to 250m in the event of a pandemic.
Bristol Myers Squibb recently announced that it would sell its new schizophrenia treatment in the UK at the same price as in the US. The list price of the drug Cobenfy will be £16,553 a year. If the NHS does not make the drug available, the company might not launch in the UK.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/25/moderna-boss-defends-uk-in-drug-pricing-row-as-he-opens-150m-oxfordshire-facility
