12,500 % Nhs Drug Price Rise?

[EDDIE51]

Anyone else notice this in The Times this morning?
A group of 4 drug companies have found a 'loophole' so that they can increase the price of some common drugs sold to the NHS by up to 12,500%
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/extortionate-prices-add-260m-to-nhs-drug-bill-8mwtttwdk
It says this has added £266 Million to the NHS costs , all of which ended up in their pockets!

[bednobs]

sorry csny read it , i dont want to pay!

[wolf63]

Due to my little boy being a cat and not covered by the NHS I found myself having to purchase human medication. An Asthma steroid inhaler was £70, a Ventolin inhaler about £7 and Prednisolone tablets are cheap - I paid £9 for about 200 the other day.

Prescriptions and drug costs are a complex area. Prescriptions are free in Scotland and I, personally, don't agree with that. If we don't pay into the NHS it is going to keel over and die.

[woofgang]

apparently most people in the Uk who need prescriptions get them free at point of prescription anyway
http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/nhs-prescription-charges

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes but the NHS pays for the cost of the drugs in the prescription.
The prescription charge is just a small part of the cost . You may pay a prescription charge of £9.40 ,I think it is, or get it free but the NHS pays the actual cost of your medication, which could be £100s a time!
It is the NHS they are ripping off not the patients.

[Old_Geezer]

There is a petition to ask the government to close the loophole. I'll try to recall looking for and adding the link when I'm up & about later.

[Hypognosis]

Nail 'em up. Nail 'em up, I say.

[Old_Geezer]

https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/close-NHS-drugs-loophole

[woofgang]

EDDIE, I was answering Wolf’s comment

[woofgang]

I don’t understand....are they the only manufacturers if these generic drugs?

[Old_Geezer]

It seems yes there is little competition if any. They may still have exclusive rights ? As I understand it, loophole says if they stop using the brand name and use the generic name then they can name their price because flawed legislation assumed that only occurred when there were many suppliers/loads of competition. Epic Fail.

[fiction-factory]

Yes, "epic fail" as O_G says. But it's worrying we have to rely on one company to supply a drug- if they mess up does that mean we run out?

[EDDIE51]

There are many drugs that only 1 company makes, one I can think of is 'Tamiflu' , the 'flu jab' Just one company makes it as they invented it and hold the patents.