UK’s Rural Docs Give Pfizer The Bird
2 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 27th, 2007 // 6:53 am
This is an instance where some docs aren’t keen on having a relationship with a drugmaker. Thousands of rural family doctors are cutting back on, or stopped prescribing, Pfizer meds since the launch last month of an exclusive distribution arrangement with Alliance Boots.
The Dispensing Doctors’ Association (DDA), which represents about 5,000 family docs in remote areas who dispense drugs directly to patients rather than through pharmacies, says many docs resent the new system for adding an extra layer of bureaucracy and cost. So many are prescribing identical drugs made by rival manufacturers.
“There is no doubt that the prescribing of Pfizer products has reduced,†says David Baker, the DDA’s ceo. “Obviously, you have to use the right drug for the right patient, and that comes first. But, within that, there is a clear move away from Pfizer products, which is understandable because their terms of trade are not as good.â€
Richard West, the DDA’s chairman adds: “It’s an extra workload for no benefit. You have to order through a separate system, which means extra invoices and time spent processing them.†He noted that Lipitor is about four times as costly as generic simvastatin.
The new distribution system, which Pfizer says is designed to prevent counterfeit drugs entering the supply chain, has made Alliance Boots the sole distributor of all Pfizer products in the UK – about 15 per cent of the market. By cutting out traditional wholesalers, Pfizer has a direct relationship with every pharmacy and dispensing doctor in the country.
The scheme is controversial. Critics assert its created a monopoly over the supply of Pfizer drugs. They accuse the company of wanting to take greater control of pricing and argue that it could cost the goverment money and lead to delays in getting key medicines to patients.
Last week, the debate intensified after AstraZeneca announced similar plans by selecting two companies – AAH and Alliance Boots – to become its exclusive distributors. The changes in the market have triggered a political backlash and an investigation of pharmaceutical wholesaling by the UK’s Office of Fair Trading.
Source: The Times of London[tags]Alliance Boots, Office Of Fair Trading, Pfizer[/tags]
Melody
Wouldn’t it be a remarkable happening if U.S. doctors developed the spine of UK rural docs and stood up TO the drug companies and stood up FOR patients? They have had abundant opportunity to do so. I suspect, at the urging of the powerful AMA, U.S. docs find it much easier to “go along to get along.”
Rx
How about that trail in London, where they are charging 9 defendants with counterfeit medicine charges, and the one Mexican Doctor who has nothing at all to do with it.
How do I know? Well I know because I am one of the defendants and he has nothing to do with it; at all, no-one even knows who he is until now.
This doctor happened to be dealing with Nashi Pharmacy in London and somehow the MHRA tied him into a conspiracy; all the way from Mexico.
He was in the wrong place and dealing with one of the defendants in legitimate pharmaceuticals and had no idea…
It seems that because of his expertise and vast import & exporting in the parallel pharmaceutical market is what landed him in court.
It sure looks to us in the docik and also to the Jury, that Big Pharma is just trying to shut this poor guy down. He just happens to finance his HIV/AIDS clinic in Mexico thru these sales. (Wow what a story)
He finances the private clinic with the profits of his export pharmaceutical sales, AND BIG-PHARMA IS TRYING TO SHUT HIM DOWN…
However, he is not lying down, he is giving the prosecution all they can handle. They assumed just because he was from Mexico that he did not know this business.
He spilled the beans only when his suppliers both Merck & Pfizer acknowledged that they did not deal with him; when he provided invoices and shipping documents proving them wrong.
He also explained all about the MMR-II vaccine scare here as it was related as a link to autisim. He showed how he single-handedly forced Merck Mexico to force Merck USA to again produce the monovalent vaccines (mumps and ruebella and measles) in individual vaccines instead of a combo vaccine.
He did this by proving that this vaccine was being produced by using an enzyme from the aborted fetuses; He had the backing of the Catholic Church!
He explained to the jury how Pfizer produces their products in Mexico and ships them to various countries, before returning and exporting them to other countries; this is how they (Pfizer) limits their tax issues while still charging the same high prices where the economies of scale are reduced in latin america.
You should really look into this, it seems he has the MHRA and Big Pharm on the run; and the jury is soaking up all he has to say!
He is spot on! Whatever happens to us has been made moot because of his testimony.