Sept 26 (Reuters) -

The British government will offer to pay more for medicines

that it buys for the National Health Service, the Financial

Times reported on Friday, hoping to defuse one of U.S. President

Donald Trump's top complaints after he announced steep tariff

increases on branded medication.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief business

adviser, Varun Chandra, will travel to Washington next week, the

report added.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

The president has fumed because prescription drugs cost

more in the U.S. than in any other country, often by nearly

threefold. He has demanded that drug companies lower prices in

the U.S. and raise them elsewhere. The price increases would

potentially offset the impact of U.S. price cuts on drugmakers'

revenues.

A UK government spokesperson did not directly address

the Financial Times report. But the spokesperson said in a

statement that Britain was in "a constructive dialogue with the

U.S. and industry."

"We will always put patients and taxpayers first,

striking the right balance between creating an environment where

this innovative sector can thrive whilst ensuring best value for

money," a UK government spokesperson said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday, Britain said it was

pressing

the United States on pharmaceutical tariffs in hope of a

beneficial outcome, after Trump said a new 100% tariff would

apply to firms unless they build a manufacturing site in the

country.

Major British drugmakers like AstraZeneca ( AZN ) and

GlaxoSmithKline have already

set up

manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and have announced

further investments.

The Trump administration has given drugmakers until

September 29 to lower prices for some U.S. drugs

voluntarily

, with a threat of tariffs if the president is not

satisfied.