MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'fair trading'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:54:25 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517352&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FIqBNbG7HvHU%2F The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has filed a claim against Reckitt Benckiser for abusing its dominant market position by allegedly preventing doctors from prescribing lower-cost generic versions of its Gaviscon heartburn medication. The OFT sent a so-called ’statement of objections’ to the consumer goods giant for seeking to restrict competition. In the episode cited by regulators, Reckitt allegedly withdrew its Gaviscon Original Liquid from the computer system maintained by the UK’s National Health Service before a generic name was assigned. And so any doc searching for the med would only find Gaviscon Advance Liquid, which still has patent protection and, therefore, no generic alternative at a lower price. “This case raises significant and complex competition... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517352 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:44:30 +0100 4517352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890648&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2329 Two weeks left to stop the Department of Health making a fool of itself. Email your response to tne Pittilo consultation to this email address HRDListening@dh.gsi.gov.uk I’ve had permission to post a submission that has been sent to the Pittilo consultation. The whole document can be downloaded here. I have removed the name of the author. It is written by the person who has made some excellent contributions to this blog under the pseudonym "Allo V Psycho". The document is a model of clarity, and it ends with constructive suggestions for forms of regulation that will, unlike the Pittilo proposals, really protect patients Here is the summary. The full document explains each point in detail. Executive Summary Statutory regulation lends prestige, but needs to be balanced ... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890648 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:37:04 +0100 2890648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757755&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2131 This report outlines areas of potential consensus to guide research funders, researchers, commissioners and complementary practitioners in developing and applying a robust evidence base for complementary practice.” As happens so often, there is implicit in this sentence the assumption that if you spend enough money evidence will emerge. That is precisely contrary to the experence in the USA where spending a billion dollars produced nothing beyond showing that a lot of things we already thought didn’t work were indeed ineffective. And inevitably, and tragically, NICE’s biggest mistake is invoked. “It is noteworthy that the evidence is now sufficiently robust for NICE to include acupuncture as a treatment for low back pain.” [p ] Did the advisory group not read... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757755 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:33:41 +0100 2757755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473436&cid=t_205317_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1704 Jump to follow-up This is another short interruption in the epic self-destruction of chiropractors.  In a sense it is more serious.  One expects quacks to advocate quackery.  What you don’t expect is that the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) will endorse it.  Neither do you expect the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to betray its mandate to make sure that medicines work. The saga of the NICE low back pain guidance has been the subject of a deluge of criticism, It seems doubtful that the guidance can survive, not least because of its absurd endorsement of chiropractic, at a time when chiropractic is undergoing self-immolation as a consequence of the persecution of Simon Singh by the British Chiropractic Association (see he... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473436 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:37:28 +0100 2473436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414821&cid=t_205317_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1466 This study is no more informative than the infamous Spence (2005) ’study’ of the same type, which seems to be the only thing that homeopaths can produce to support their case. There is an excellent analysis of the Northern Ireland ’study’ by Andy Lewis, The Northern Ireland NHS Alternative Medicine ‘Trial’.  He explains patiently, yet again, what constitutes evidence and why studies like this are useless. His analogy start ” . . . the Apple Marketing Board approach the NHS and ask for £200,000 to do a study to show the truth behind the statement ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. The Minister, being particularly fond of apples, agrees and the study begins.” 16.30 Social enterprise and whole systems integrated care.  Dee Ky... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414821 Sun, 17 May 2009 07:18:25 +0100 2414821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365006&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1372 Jump to follow-up It seems that bits of good news don’t come singly. First honours degrees in acupuncture vanish, Now a big chain of shops selling Chinese herbs and acupuncture has gone into administration. It seems that, at last, people are getting fed up with being conned out of their hard-earned money Herbmedic Barking A local [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365006 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:37:52 +0100 2365006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2217362&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1196 Recently I wrote a piece for the National Health Executive (”the Independent Journal for Senior Health Service Managers”), with the title Medicines that contain no medicine and other follies. In the interests of what journalists call balance (but might better be called equal time for the Flat Earth Society), an article appeared straight after mine, [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2217362 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:36:36 +0100 2217362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2205541&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1170 It is almost six months now since I posted Quackery creeps into good universities too -but through Human Resources. One example given there was the University of Leicester. This is an excellent university.  It does first class research and it was the alma mater of the incomparable David Attenborough who [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2205541 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:19:10 +0100 2205541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2104904&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D790 I’m perfectly happy to think of alternative medicine as being a voluntary, self-imposed tax on the gullible (to paraphrase Goldacre again). But only as long as they do no harm and only as long as the obey the law of the land.  Only too often, though, they do neither. When I talk about law, I don’t [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2104904 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:49:10 +0100 2104904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1853935&cid=t_205317_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D258 We know all about the sixteen or so universities that run “BSc” degrees in hokum. They are all “post-1992″ universities, which used to be polytechnics. That is one reason why it saddens me to see them destroying their own attempts to achieve parity with older universities by running courses that I would regard as plain [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853935 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:33:59 +0100 1853935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1104491&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F202728534%2F Just 10 days after the UK’s Office of Fair Trading criticized Pfizer for a new distribution arrangement that may cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars in higher costs, AstraZeneca is moving ahead with previously announced plans to do the same thing. The drugmaker plans to supply its meds exclusively through just two distributors, the Unichem unit of Alliance Boots and Celesio’s AAH Pharmaceuticals, Reuters reports. Earlier this month, the OFT issued a report urging the government to reform the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme to ensure the National Health Service costs don’t rise as a result of these changes in distributions, which other drugmakers are expected to adopt. The NHS spends around $12 billion a year on branded meds dispensed by retail pharm... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1104491 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:51:22 +0100 1104491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1085977&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F198598704%2F A controversial plan that changes the way prescription meds are distributed to patients by drugmakers could add millions of pounds to NHS drugs bills and result in longer waiting times for patients, The Times of London reports. The Office of Fair Trading today published a report on the impact of a distribution deal between Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, which bypasses its traditional wholesale suppliers to sell directly to pharmacies through UniChem, the wholesaling arm of Alliance Boots. (Here is the report). The report said there is a “significant risk” of higher drugs cost to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the UK’s National Health Service and any further use of exclusive distribution arrangements by industry may also lead to lon... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1085977 Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:52:38 +0100 1085977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=934116&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F166783468%2F Two more drugmakers plan to use an exclusive distribution arrangement for their meds in the UK. Schering-Plough and NAPP Pharmaceuticals are expected to follow Pfizer and use just three wholesalers - AAH, Phoenix and UniChem, according to The Times of London. Last July, Sanofi-Aventis also announced the same move will occur shortly. The planned moves come even as the UK’s Office of Fair Trading is conducting an investigation into accusations the switch will reduce competition and have raised monopoly fears. Smaller wholesalers and some docs say the tactic is really a bid to fight parallel trade, a legal practice in Europe in which meds can be imported for resale into the UK. Critics also claim the new arrangements could present a threat to patient safety by raising the possibility of... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=934116 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 03:52:10 +0100 934116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=807038&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F145504563%2F The drugmaker slashed the price of its blood pressure medication by up to one third in the UK, but denies the move was related to a government report on drug pricing, PharmaFocus reports. The blockbuster hypertension treatment has been on the market for more than 10 years and is one of the most widely prescribed angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) in the UK. Coincidentally, ARBs were among a number of drug classes identified in the Office of Fair Trading’s report on pharmaceutical pricing earlier this year as being priced significantly out of line with patient benefits. Merck announced the price cut shortly after the government responded to the OFT report - saying it would overhaul the current drug pricing system - but the drugmaker insists the timing was purely coincidental. A Me... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=807038 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:56:44 +0100 807038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=775571&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F140022140%2F The government wants to reach a new agreement with drugmakers to ensure taxpayers get value for their money, UK officials said today. As Reuters notes, the move is the latest example of governments around the world studying new ways to rein in the cost of drugs as medical advances and aging populations strain healthcare budgets. The UK move follows a report by a government consumer watchdog, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which called in February for a radical overhaul of the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and a shift to a more value-based approach. The OFT estimated the National Health Service could save around $1 billion a year by scrapping the existing system that regulates profits but gives drugmakers a free hand to set prices. Instead, the OFT believes the governmen... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=775571 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:45:05 +0100 775571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=765963&cid=t_205317_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F138799844%2F And then there were three. Sanofi-Aventis has announced plans for a new exclusive distribution arrangement for its meds in the UK. Beginning Nov. 1, the drugmaker will use just three wholesalers - AAH, Phoenix and UniChem - the same type of move Pfizer began earlier this year and AstraZeneca plans to mimic as well. Until now, Sanofi used a number of big and small wholesalers. The new arrangement will allow Sanofi to “maintain the service levels that our customers experience today, while improving supply chain efficiency in the delivery of our medicines to patients,” Mike Isles, the drugmaker’s UK supply chain director, tells PharmaTimes. Pfizer, for instance, justified its own switch, in part, as a means of minimizing counterfeits. But wholesalers and some doctors say suc... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=765963 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:15:40 +0100 765963