Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

News

Drug’s 5000% price rise puts spotlight on soaring US drug costs

BMJ 2015; 351 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h5114 (Published 24 September 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h5114

Rapid Response:

UK Drug 4000% price rise puts spotlight on soaring UK NHS drug costs

A few years ago liothyroinine was a branded medicine 'Tertroxin' and the cost was controlled through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. The manufacturer removed the branding and marketed it as generic liothyronine. The price has increased from just over £13 for 100 tablets to £152-18 for 28 tablets. A price increase of over 4000%.

The Departmant of Health declines to intervene - 'it is not feasible for the Department to manage the price of every single product'.

Competing interests: I am a UK taxpayer. I am a patient whose care is at risk from the dramatic increase in the price of liothyronine.

25 September 2015
James Harwood
Retired
PINNER