Profiteering Creates Drug Scarcity in U.K.
In order to profit from high exchange rates on the international market, British pharmacists and wholesalers have limited the amount of certain drugs being sold to the National Health Service. The action has resulted in a shortage that has endangered patients with life-threatening conditions and inconvenienced many others.
In order to profit from high exchange rates on the international market, British pharmacists and wholesalers have limited the amount of certain drugs being sold to the National Health Service. The decision has resulted in a shortage that has endangered patients with life-threatening conditions and inconvenienced many others.
Labour MP Huw Irranca-Davies found that as many as 70 drugs were unavailable in some places and that some patients had to go up to six months before getting the medications they needed.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...The Guardian:
About 80% of 60 health trusts in England and Wales are experiencing “unacceptable” delays in obtaining drugs because pharmaceutical firms have capped the amount they will sell to the NHS.
Patients with Parkinson’s disease and organ failure are also among those affected by trusts running out of particular medications and unable to get fresh supplies.
Freedom of information responses from primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and health boards in Wales shows that patients are suffering “serious harm” as a result, with some admitted to hospital after their doctor’s inability to obtain the right drugs left them needing hospital treatment.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Africa
Cape Town’s digital nomads chase cheap luxury and scenic backdrops. But behind the matcha lattes and “social impact days” lies a deeper story of economic power, displacement and global inequality.
Editorial Cartoons
Media
What is the world’s third-richest man afraid of?
Asia Pacific
Today’s ecological and geopolitical dangers highlight the urgency of finding a way to avoid World War III.
Environment
At least, not fast enough to reach international targets.
Politics
But MAGA world's feud with Swift is an excellent vehicle for observing the ever-quickening decay of American politics.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.