Richard Barker, director general of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said the Department of Health and the industry needed to agree a realistic new long-term pact as quickly as possible.
The government announced plans in August to renegotiate the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS), covering the price paid by the state health service for branded medicines. It hopes for a deal with the ABPI by mid-year and health minister Alan Johnson has said he is looking for substantial savings.
Barker declined to comment on the scale of any price cuts being discussed but said he was worried officials were "not as realistic as they need to be", given the industry's slowing growth due to generic competition and a lack of new drugs.
Hmm. Looking across the pond:
Q. Will the US Federal Government be permitted to bargain with drug companies for lower pharmaceutical prices and will it be legal to import cheaper drugs from other countries?
A. Clinton, Obama, McCain: Yes
1 comment:
I keep wondering what will happen to the non-importation argument when people realize that even the drugs US Pharma touts as "purer", and "more reliable" are made overseas, perhaps with the same ingredients.
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