How can pharma strengthen its value narrative in today’s NHS landscape?

Over the past year, medicines pricing has become one of the defining issues shaping how the pharmaceutical industry is viewed. It now plays a central role in how the media, public, clinicians, patients, NHS commissioners, and policymakers judge the sector. Pricing is no longer simply a commercial detail. It has become a litmus test for whether the relationship between pharma and the wider health ecosystem feels constructive, equitable, and trustworthy.

Although the essential contribution of pharmaceutical innovation to the NHS is widely recognised, concerns about medicine costs persist. A majority of the public still believe the NHS pays too much for drugs, and only a third feel treatments represent good value. This gap between the benefits the industry brings and the way they are perceived remains a core reputational challenge.

The real value pharma delivers to patients and the NHS

Given that NHS only spends around 10 percent of its budget on medicines, pricing should not be the dominant part of the value conversation. The pharmaceutical industry is uniquely positioned to help the NHS deliver on its mission to improve population health at scale and its impact extends far beyond the medicines themselves.

Pharmaceutical innovation drives continuous improvement in patient care, reshaping pathways and improving outcomes across acute, chronic, and rare diseases. These benefits are particularly important to payers and commissioners, who are managing increasingly complex patient needs within ever‑tighter financial constraints. This innovation is underpinned by sustained industry investment, with pharma contributing over £9 billion annually to UK R&D.

Research investment strengthens the UK’s scientific ecosystem and reinforces the nation's global leadership in life sciences. And collaboration between pharma companies, clinicians, patients, and system leaders ensures that innovation does not sit on the shelf but is embedded into real‑world care, supported by robust evidence and practical implementation support.

A clear example of this can be seen in the provision of clinical homecare. At ZPB, we were proud to create the ABPI’s Bringing healthcare home: A blueprint for collaborative clinical homecare report which showed that pharma‑funded homecare supports more than 500,000 patients each year through industry investment of around £173 million, enabling treatment to be delivered safely at home rather than in hospital. NHS professionals surveyed for the report also reported improved access, increased system capacity, and financial savings, demonstrating how pharma contributes not only innovative medicines but also practical service solutions that shift care into the community and support NHS sustainability.

But value only matters when it is visible. When pricing dominates the public narrative, this wider system-level contribution is easily overshadowed.

This is why real transparency about how pricing decisions are made, how value is assessed, and how treatments affect patient outcomes and system sustainability is essential. Clarity builds confidence and confidence builds trust. When industry proactively explains the rationale behind pricing and access decisions, it becomes far easier for NHS commissioners and payers to articulate that value to their boards, their partners, and their populations.

Equally important is communicating value in the language of the NHS. For system leaders, the value of a therapy is not purely clinical. It is about cost‑effectiveness, equity, workforce impact, logistics, and overall system capacity. When pharma aligns its narrative with these real pressures, the partnership feels more relevant, more authentic, and more constructive.

The relationship between pharma and the NHS must evolve from transactional to truly collaborative. The public already believes these two sectors work together but we need to make that collaboration more visible and more meaningful. Transparent partnerships with commissioners, clinicians and other system decision makers can help ensure innovation is implemented in ways that support real system impact.

Above all, integrity in every interaction is essential. When intentions and actions align, and when the sector behaves as a responsible steward of innovation, credibility increases, not only for pharma, but for the NHS as well.

A shared reputational landscape

Public satisfaction with the NHS continues to be under pressure, driven by waiting lists, workforce shortages, cost-saving requirements, and rising demand. Although support for the founding principles of the NHS remains exceptionally high, frustrations around access mean that people are increasingly sensitive to anything they perceive as a barrier to care.

This creates a shared reputational landscape: when patients struggle to access medicines, the consequences are felt across the system. Both the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry are affected, and both have a role to play in strengthening the narrative around value, access, and impact.

That’s why it is so important to keep the system-level perspective in mind. Effective communication about value does more than protect reputations, it strengthens the NHS itself. When the narrative is shaped well, it helps the public understand how investment in innovation delivers long‑term benefits and reinforces confidence across the healthcare eco system.

If you would like to learn more about how ZPB can help organisations shape and communicate a compelling and relevant value strategy for your key stakeholders, please contact rita.martins@zpb-associates.com.

Rita Martins is Director of Pharma at ZPB Associates.