Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17296

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

Kmietowicz Z
Gaviscon maker is accused of rigging the market
BMJ 2010 Feb 24;
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/340/feb24_2/c1121

Abstract:

The household products company Reckitt Benckiser UK is being investigated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over whether it manipulated the market for its heartburn drug Gaviscon.

The OFT alleges that the company sought to restrict competition to its Gaviscon brand of compound alginate preparations when it withdrew and delisted its Gaviscon Original Liquid from the NHS prescription channel in 2005 and introduced Gaviscon Advance, which was protected by a patent until 2016.

The timing of the launch of Gaviscon Advance before the patent for Gaviscon Original Liquid expired and a generic name had been assigned meant than when GPs searched for “Gaviscon” prescription packs they would identify Gavsicon Liquid Advance and not Gavsicon Original Liquid, said the office. This meant that patients would not be given an “open” prescription and pharmacists would not be able to dispense cheaper generic alginate treatments.

An investigation by the BBC’s Newsnight programme . . .