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AS THE Conservative government teeters on the brink of collapse, a case being heard in the High Court serves as a timely reminder of what’s at stake for us as a country.
Pharmaceutical firms Novartis and Bayer are determined to force clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to use their pricy patented drugs rather than a cheaper alternative that could save the National Health Service half a billion a year.
The 12 north-east England CCGs who wish to use anti-cancer drug Avastin to treat age-related vision loss are “driven by cost alone,” Novartis’s lawyer Tom de la Mare QC objects.
Politicians who continue to welcome contracts with US companies without considering the risks and consequences of total dependency in the years to come are undermining the raison d’etre of the NHS, argues Dr JOHN PUNTIS
