NHS criticised for lax control over drugs industry

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7495.805

BMJ 2005;330:805 (9 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7495.805

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NHS criticised for lax control over drugs industry

Zosia Kmietowicz

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Links between the pharmaceutical industry and the UK Departmentof Health have become so intertwined that the public's healthis being put at risk, says a highly critical report from a crossparty group of MPs, published this week. The much anticipatedreport cites multiple failings at the United Kingdom's drugregulatory body for not scrutinising thoroughly enough datafrom companies seeking licences for new drugs and for not monitoringside effects adequately.

It also blames lax controls at the Department of Health forallowing pharmaceutical companies to have expanded influenceover the public and the medical profession, which has led tooverprescribing by doctors and an unhealthy reliance on medicinesby the public.

The report, from the House of Commons health select committee,recommends a raft of changes throughout the Department of Health.It is especially critical of the Medicines and Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency (MHRA), which it says . . . [Full text of this article]

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