Liothyronine & cost to NHS !!!

[JMN2017]

Just bringing this article to your attention this morning. Why are the drug companies allowed to do this and how come the NHS haven't sourced from elsewhere? It seems a total scandal to me

bbc.co.uk/news/business-420...

Apologies if this has already been posted but I couldn't see anything re this.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Up until very recently, (with new law to close the loophole this summer), generic medications had no price control available. It was (wrongly) assumed that competition would keep prices in check.

NHS were unable to control price, or even query it.

Certain pharmaceutical companies, realised this, bought up the single licence out of patent medicines. Changed their category to "generic", by some apparently completely arbitrary self managed system. Then, with no competitors medications, were free to put the price up and walk away with millions.

It's not just Liothyronine, many other single licence medications also been targeted.

mjauk.org/wp-content/upload...

dailymail.co.uk/news/articl...

thetimes.co.uk/article/brot...

telegraph.co.uk/business/20...

The new law is now passed and live, but not action been taken yet against any companies to bring prices down

pharmaphorum.com/views-and-...

[JMN2017 in reply to SlowDragon]

SlowDragon

Thanks for this explanation. Hopefully, the relevant loopholes will be blocked and the pricing of meds will become a lot more realistic.

These pharmaceutical companies shouldn't be able to get away with these practices and maybe soon one or two pharma companies will be dealt with severely, as an example to others.