John Sanders Photography / Alamy Stock Photo
Funding from the Voluntary Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) scheme is to be used to expand NHS clinical trials.
Issued on 4 March 2026, a press release from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) said that the Institute had provided £47.8m for equipment “that will increase the ability of the NHS to deliver high-quality commercial research”.
The investment comes from the VPAG investment programme, which sets an annual cap on the total allowed sales value of branded medicines to the NHS each year. Sales above the cap are paid back to the government via a levy.
According to the NIHR, the latest awards will be used to provide equipment to 51 NHS trusts and 79 primary care organisations across England, including a range of items “from diagnostic kit such as spirometers and ECG machines to high-tech scanners and mobile research vans”.
More than half (60%) of the funding will be used by primary care organisations to undertake commercial clinical trials with local communities, the statement added.
In a statement made as part of the announcement, Janet Valentine, executive director of innovation and research policy at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said: “Access to the right equipment across the NHS is essential to ensure that industry-sponsored clinical trials can run efficiently and that more patients have the opportunity to take part in studies of the latest treatments.
“This welcome new investment through the NIHR and the pharmaceutical industry’s VPAG Investment Programme will help address equipment shortages that can create bottlenecks in hospital-based research.
“Funding for research equipment in primary care will also expand the ability of GP practices and community providers to offer research opportunities closer to where people live. Importantly, investment in mobile research units will help extend the reach of clinical trials into underserved communities, ensuring more people can benefit from taking part in research,” she added.
The government’s ‘Life sciences sector plan‘, published in July 2025, set out a commitment to “slashing trial set up times to under 150 days”.
Zubir Ahmed, health innovation and safety minister, said: “This investment will strengthen the NHS’s ability to deliver groundbreaking clinical trials – not just in hospitals, but crucially in communities across the country.
“For too long, access to innovative treatments has been unequal. By targeting primary care, we are changing that — giving patients everywhere the chance to benefit from the latest medical breakthroughs on their doorstep, regardless of where they live or their background.”
In 2026, the payment rate for newer medicines under the VPAG scheme — generally defined as those in their first 12 years from receiving marketing authorisation — was cut to 14.5%, down 8 percentage points from 22.5% in 2025.
The rate for older medicines remained between 10% and 35%, depending on the price discount already offered to the NHS by the manufacturer.
In January 2026, the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee wrote to Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, asking for more detail on proposed government investment into the VPAG scheme.
