Sexual misconduct by MPs should automatically trigger a by-election, says advisor to governmentMedicine shortages affecting hundreds of thousands of Britons will worsen in the next five years as manufacturers pull products out of the UK to avoid a Government levy, a leading industry body has warned.
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access rebate is expected to add £37m annually for the next five years to the budgets of each of England’s 42 integrated care boards, according to BGMA analysis seen by, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry which sets a cap on the total allowed sales value of branded medicines to the NHS each year.
But the BGMA claims it could increase shortages in supplies of vital drugs to patients as manufacturers who do not want to pay it will pull out of stocking the UK.: “One of the critical things that’s rarely understood is that there’s only a finite amount of generic medicines manufactured worldwide, which means that the UK is competing with other countries for stock allocations of medicines.
“It can take six to nine months to increase manufacturing of a medicine… the active pharmaceutical ingredients are often complex molecules that that need to be carefully manufactured.”In September, the DHSC issued an alert about the unavailability of three ADHD medications – Methylphenidate, Lisdexamfetamine and Guanfacine.
The as yet unpublished analysis by the BGMA found that an increase in medicine shortages is inevitable as a result of a more volatile market stemming from fewer suppliers, potentially less stock being earmarked for the UK and product withdrawals.