Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Generic Drug Fear

NHS patients face fake drug risk

Patients are being put at risk as counterfeiters target the NHS supply chain with fake drugs, regulators say.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned it is investigating twice as many counterfeit cases as it was five years ago.

The growth in fake drugs is said to be driven by huge demand for lifestyle medicines such as Viagra.

Counterfeits can be weaker doses of established drugs or medicines produced with substances
such as paint.

BEFORE GENERIC DRUGS ARE AGREED TO BE USED, THERE SHOULD BE AN INSPECTION PROCEEDURE IN PLACE, A LIFE COULD BE LOST IN THE QUEST TO CUT NHS BUDGETS, WHO WILL TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT?

AS A REGULAR USER OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IT MAKES ONE VERY WARY OF THIS KIND OF APPROACH, WHY NOT STRIKE A DEAL WITH THE DRUG COMPANIES TO PROVIDE MEDICINES AT THE CORRECT PRICES RATHER THAN THE OVER INFLATED ONES THE NHS PAYS?