The National Health Service has a new drugs deal

TWO DAYS, TWONHSNHSABPINHSITNHS deals for the National Health Service (). On November 21st the announced that it had awarded a contract worth up to £330m ($414m) to Palantir, a controversial American firm, to help it and thereby, it hopes, to improve care for millions. This followed the announcement a day earlier of a new drugs deal, after months of wrangling with the British government, which funds the service, and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (), representing drugmakers.The deals show two different faces of the . The Palantir agreement, a contract dogged by privacy concerns, is designed to alleviate some of the service’s maddening inefficiencies. The new pharma deal, which continues to secure Britain some of the lowest drug prices in the rich world, is a reminder of the ’s negotiating power.