Scotland: How Big Pharma funds trials for the drugs you are prescribed
Paul Hutceon
Herald Scotland
Sun, 13 Apr 2014 00:00 CDT
The Scottish NHS body that approves new drugs is under pressure after it emerged it gave a green light to a new pill for heavy drinkers on the basis of clinical trials funded by the drug's own manufacturer.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) approved Nalmefene, licensed by Lundbeck, after assessing the studies and a positive submission by a charity also funded by the pharmaceutical company.
The revelations have raised questions about whether the health body is scrutinising conflicts of interest.
The SMC has the responsibility of considering whether new medicines should be recommended for use in the health service.
Over £1 billion of the NHS budget in Scotland is spent on drugs every year: a hugely lucrative pot for the pharma industry.
The Sunday Herald recently revealed how dozens of doctors who either sit on the SMC or advise the body have financial links to health firms.
A BBC Panorama investigation tomorrow will also probe the links between doctors and "Big Pharma" at a UK level.
This newspaper can reveal the SMC is facing further scrutiny, this time over the way its recommendations are made.
The SMC last year approved the use of Nalmefene, a tablet used to tackle alcohol dependence by reducing cravings.
It costs around £43 for 14 pills and Scotland was the first country in Europe to prescribe it.
The SMC judgment was based on three clinical trials, which concluded that Nalmefene reduced alcohol consumption.
However, the trials were funded by Lundbeck - the Danish pharma company that holds the licence for the drug. Lundbeck's bid was also supported by the British Liver Trust (BLT), which argued that the pill would provide a treatment option for people with liver disease.
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