Sections relating to the control of the cost of health service medicines Voluntary scheme
There has been a succession of voluntary schemes agreed between the Secretary of State and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) since the 1950s. The schemes are normally agreed on a five-year term.
	The current PPRS was agreed in January 2014, and includes for the first time a payment mechanism requiring members of the scheme to pay a defined percentage of the value of their sales revenue from specified branded health service medicines to the Secretary of State, provided that the growth in health service expenditure on branded health service medicines exceeds a pre-agreed level set out in the scheme.
	Section 261 of the NHS Act 2006 refers to the existence of voluntary schemes made between the Department of Health and industry for the purpose of limiting the prices which may be charged by any manufacturer or supplier to whom the scheme relates for the supply of any health service medicines or limiting the profits which may accrue to any manufacturer or supplier to whom the scheme relates in connection with the manufacture or supply of any health service medicines. Although the scheme itself is voluntary, section 261 provides the Secretary of State with specific statutory powers in relation to members of such voluntary schemes.