Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13245

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Hawkes N.
Biologically speaking, parliament decides there is no alternative
BMJ 2008 Mar 15; 336:(7644):588
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/336/7644/588

Abstract:

Drug firms are lobbying successfully against the equivalent of generic drugs for biologicals

In 2005 the health select committee of the House of Commons published a report about the influence of the drug industry. To borrow the words used by an 18th century MP about George III, the committee concluded that the drug industry’s influence had increased, was increasing, and ought to be diminished.

“The pharmaceutical industry’s promotional efforts are relentless and pervasive,” the report declared, as if surprised. Almost everyone had been subtly corrupted by such activity, it suggested, but it had little to say about the industry’s lobbying of parliament. Indeed, unlike the legislature in the United States, the UK parliament has no register of lobbyists.

Fast forward to last December, when a group of members of both the Commons and the Lords-including one MP who had served on the health select committee in 2005-published a “parliamentary review” on the issue of biosimilars. These are the biological equivalent of generic drugs: . . .

nigel.hawkes@thetimes.co.uk