Drug price collusion allegations appalling, says Hunt
Allegations that drug companies offered to collude with chemists to overcharge the NHS for some drugs are "appalling", the health secretary has said.
A Daily Telegraph report said three pharmaceutical companies discussed ways chemists could bill the NHS for more than they actually spent.
The claims concern so-called "special" prescribed medicines - unlicensed drugs developed for specific patients' needs.
NHS Protect said it was investigating the newspaper claims.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22999225
Pharmaceutical scandal: The NHS, the drug firms and the price racket.
Pharmaceutical firms appear to have rigged the market in so-called "specials" – prescription drugs that are largely not covered by national NHS price regulations.
The prices of more than 20,000 drugs could have been artificially inflated, with backhanders paid to chemists who agreed to sell them.
Representatives of some companies agreed to invoice chemists for drugs at up to double their actual cost. Chemists would then send inflated invoices to the NHS, allowing them to pocket the difference.
Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, has ordered an investigation into the allegations, which he described as "deeply concerning".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10133557/Pharmaceutical-scandal-The-NHS-the-drug-firms-and-the-price-racket.html
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