Rapid Responses to:

NEWS: Zosia Kmietowicz NHS criticised for lax control over drugs industry BMJ 2005; 330: 805 [Full text]

Rapid Responses: Submit a response to this article

Rapid Responses published:

Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is the model

barrington Johnson   (8 April 2005)

Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is the model 8 April 2005
barrington Johnson, physician Lincolnshire Send response to journal: Re: Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is the model	Anyone who has worked in Australia will know the PBS, and how it has been successfully used to implement evidence based pharmaceutical guidelines. It is not perfect, but it is much better than what we have at the moment. It is so good that the US pharma have tried to cripple it in the Free Trade Agreement recently negotiated, as many countries are interested in its success. for more details, look here: what is the PBS? History The essence of the scheme is that government subsidy is limited to classes of drugs found to have real benefits, not the ones that pharma can persuade GPs to prescribe. Since returning to the UK I have been shocked at how effective the reps are, and how much time I spend getting my patients off the poisonous expensive rubbish they peddle. If NICE needs teeth, this is the way to do it. Competing interests: None declared