I am a bit on the fence about this article. I think it lacks a lot of detail (obviously because detail didn't seem to be available).
I think it is worth bearing in mind that the Guardian hates Starmer.
Once licenced for use in the UK, NICE still has to approve "whizzy new drugs" for use on the NHS. If the drugs are too expensive NICE will say no. I found another article which says:
"The deal will also see the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) increase the amount it is happy for the NHS to spend on potentially life-extending drugs, from £20,000 to £30,000 a year for every year of life gained to £25,000 to £35,000 – the first increase in the watchdog’s quality-adjusted life year formula since it was set up in 1999"
They have obviously done this to allow for the whizzy new drugs but it is also good news generally for patients.
Finally, the article says:
"Look! ministers said: we get to buy these whizzy new drugs from America. Truth was, we always could, if we wanted to – except now the choice was no longer ours."
Which makes it sound as though the NHS has free rein over the drugs it uses. Which is not entirely true. One massive issue over the years has been that "whizzy new drugs from America" are massively expensive and so have been turned down by NICE, often to much fury and many news articles. This will remain the case, even for drugs under the new deal, as far as I can tell. Maybe Trump didn't understand that bit.
In short, I think more detail is needed on this one before we slam Starmer.
Eta: posted before I saw @DuncinToffee 's post...The crucial question is where is the money coming from!