Life-saving medicines meant only for sale in the UK are being
sold for export at huge mark-ups, causing an acute shortage
of drugs that is putting patients' lives at risk,
the Observerhas established.
A "shopping list" from would-be buyers sent to UK pharmacies and
wholesalers and seen by the Observer reveals
they are being encouraged to sell on some medicines for up to 30%
more than they would get from the NHS.
Pharmacies are being offered £930 for a course of Humira, a
medicine for rheumatoid arthritis that they normally buy for £715,
giving them an instant profit of 30%. Those involved in the trade -
believed to be a handful of rogue pharmacies and wholesalers - are
offering £76.50 for a month's course of Femara, a drug used to
treat breast cancer patients, which UK pharmacies can buy for
£60.85, earning them a 25% profit.
A pre-filled syringe of Aranesp, used to treat chronic renal
failure, can be sold on for a 21% mark-up. The burgeoning trade can
be attributed to the slide in the value of sterling against the
euro, which has meant UK drug prices are now some of the cheapest
in Europe.
But last night MPs branded the practice as unethical and warned
that those involved could be committing a criminal act. Mike
O'Brien, the health minister, said: "So far, we have had no reports
of any deaths, but we don't want to get there simply because a few
unscrupulous traders are selling drugs for profit into Europe, and
as a result are causing some localised shortages."
According to the Department of Health's pharmaceutical services
negotiating committee, 41 medicines including Zyprexa, which is
used to treat people with schizophrenia, Actonel, for osteoporosis
sufferers, and Cipralex, an antidepressant, are in short supply in
some areas of the country.
A Hertfordshire woman being treated for breast cancer, who
wished not to be named, was told by her local pharmacy at
Sainsbury's that it was out of stock of Femara. "In the end, they
were able to rustle up seven tablets but that was all," she said.
"I don't know what any woman after me would have done." She was in
a state of panic when told the pharmacy was out of the drug. "I
thought, hang on a minute, if I miss a tablet for the next day or
two, those rogue cells are going to start multiplying."
Olivia Marks-Woldman, head of policy and campaigns at Breast
Cancer Care, said the charity was aware that people were struggling
to obtain the drug after several patients phoned its helpline.
"A diagnosis of breast cancer brings a complex range of
emotional and practical concerns, and being unable to access
necessary drugs can only cause extra anxiety at an already
difficult time," she said.
O'Brien warned those involved in the trade to desist. "We can't
allow speculators to undermine the NHS. There is a legal obligation
for pharmacists and others to put their patients first. If they
fail to do that, they can be struck off."
Concerns about the shortage of drugs and vaccines prompted the
government last week to hold an emergency summit with trade bodies.
It was agreed that pharmacies and wholesalers believed to be
engaged in the practice will be subject to random inspections.
Privately, some pharmacies blame drugs manufacturers for not
putting enough medicines into the UK, a claim denied by the
pharmaceutical giants.
They say there is sufficient supply, but much is being exported
straight to the continent. Some companies supply the drugs direct
to the pharmacies rather than use wholesalers, but there are claims
this has led to distribution problems.
John Turk, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association,
said: "The vast majority of pharmacists have nothing to do with
medicine exports. Pharmacists are putting in considerable extra
work each day sourcing medicines for their patients, who might
otherwise suffer days of worry."
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said
pharmacists had told him the industry was spending 1.7m hours a
year trying to obtain drugs not readily available. "That's an
extreme waste of time and money," Lamb said. Many pharmacists have
to request emergency supplies.
Industry figures obtained by the Observer
show that there was a 1,156% increase in emergency deliveries of
drugs between January and May 2009, compared with same period in
2008.
Internal industry research suggests 11% of the UK's 12,600
pharmacies and a small number of dispensing doctors are exploiting
the system by diverting medicines meant for British patients.
The trade is estimated to be now worth some £30m a month. Last
June, Keith Ridge, the chief pharmacist for England, wrote to NHS
hospital chief pharmacists warning them about the illicit
trade.
Source: Guardian 2010