Drug companies are fined more than £260m for overcharging NHS for hydrocortisone pills

AbstractThe pharmaceutical industry has long enjoyed substantial profits despite increased requirements for drug approval and various attempts to regulate the industry. Drug companies have avoided effective regulation by blaming high prices on the costs of research and development. The search for drugs effective in combatting HIV and AIDS related illnesses has provided a stark background on which to view the actions and justifications of drug companies. Despite increased cooperation between government and the drug industry and expedited approval of several useful drugs, these drugs are still prohibitively expensive. This Article explores the history and economics of the drug industry and proposes a system of national price regulation for all drugs.

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DRUG COMPANIES AND JOURNAL SUPPLEMENTS

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(86)91873-8 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 327 (8490) ◽

pp. 1157 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

RobertL. Cohen

Keyword(s):

Drug Companies

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Drug Companies Push Into Central Europe

Chemical & Engineering News ◽

10.1021/cen-v084n014.p016a ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 84 (14) ◽

pp. 16 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MICHAEL MCCOY ◽

JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY

Keyword(s):

Central Europe ◽

Drug Companies

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Feature

Asia-Pacific Biotech News ◽

10.1142/s0219030310000248 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (05n06) ◽

pp. 22-38

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Health Records ◽

Drug Companies ◽

A Priority ◽

Vein Harvesting

Biodiversity Conservation is Everyone's Business. Search for ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity is On. Drug Companies Reduce Prices of Medicines. SWS: Make Health A Priority, Filipinos Ask Next Leaders. New Vein Harvesting Technology. Mobile Health Records in Malaysia. Faster, Accurately Targeted Radiation Cancer Patients. SingHealth Selects IBM and SAP To Transform HR Processes.

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Pharmaceutical Promotion in the Third World

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204269202200218 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 417-453 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Joel Lexchin

Keyword(s):

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Third World ◽

Marketing Practice ◽

Professional Groups ◽

The Third ◽

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ◽

Drug Companies ◽

Pharmaceutical Promotion ◽

The Third World

The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by profit and it is the quest for ever larger sales and profits that determines how the industry promotes its products. The author analyzes the methods that drug companies use in marketing their drugs to doctors and consumers, and the consequences in terms of costs and health. Some of the drugs advertised are valuable; others are irrational mixtures, useless or dangerous and should not be on the market. Even for products of proven worth, the companies have a double standard when it comes to promoting them in the Third World. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations does have a Code of Marketing Practice, but major weaknesses in the code render it almost impotent in regulating promotion. When consumers and health care professionals question the tactics of the industry, the response is usually to attack the credibility of the critics rather than to deal with the issues that they raise. Physicians and consumers are strongly influenced by pharmaceutical promotion, with all too predictable results: Doctors prescribe irrationally and consumers develop grossly distorted ideas about the value of modern medications. Reforms to promotional practices are possible, but may be beyond the resources of Third World countries. Achieving these reforms will require the efforts of Third World countries, progressive elements in the pharmaceutical industry, consumer and professional groups and some form of organized international support.

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