Epanutin capsules were costing the NHS just over £2m a year until Flynn Pharma, a British company, bought the rights to sell the anti-seizure medicine from Pfizer, repackaged it, and raised the price. Now the annual bill will be £46.6m.
The capsules are identical to those being sold before, even down to the ‘Epanutin’ markings on them. Only the packaging has changed. Now packs read ‘Phenytoin Sodium Flynn Hard Capsules’.
The extra money that will be spent on the drug could have paid for about 1,800 more nurses.
One doctor described the price increase as a “scandalous abuse of a monopoly position”.
Flynn accepted the price rise was “significant” but said the NHS had been getting it for an “exceptionally low” price beforehand.
2 comments:
Disgusting that firms get away with it.
Cardboard packaging is SO expensive !
Money would have been much better spent on increasing staff ratio's.
If we fall ill we are just like a cash machine generating yet more that goes to the big companies.
YUK ...... Sal
Yes I think to the pharmaceutical companies we are like a cash machine generating more money and profit. You only have to read some of the articles on this blog to find that out.
The shame of it is that yes more money could be better spent on the NHS employing more nursing staff who so often seem to get neglected. They do a terrific job and I feel need more recognition than they sometimes get.
Just as a thought I know this article shows the extra cost is for an epileptic drug, the same could probably be said for other drugs.
Anne
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