Petition: Create a publicly owned manufacturer for off-patent, generic drugs in the UK
Price gouging is where companies substantially raise prices above costs of production and investment, often due to a lack of competition. Generic drugs are non-brand, off-patent medicines. They benefit from a legal loophole, facing much less price regulation than branded drugs.
Did you know that….
Hydrocortisone is an essential drug according to the World Health Organisation?
Auden McKenzie increased the price of this generic drug from £1.07 to £147.50 for 1 month’s supply between 2008 and 2017?
The NHS was forced to pay an extra £60 million per year until 2017!
A study, funded by the NIHR (the research arm of the NHS), required a modest investment of approximately £100,000 which contributed to a reducing trend in hydrocortisone prices, from over £147.50pcm to £3.55pcm between 2017 and March 2021.
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