Pharmaceutical companies are bribing health officials in the UK to start using their drugs in the National Health Service (NHS). They are being paid large sums of money and entertained in high-end restaurants and hotels to ‘encourage’ them to switch drug use, a decision that is supposedly based purely on evidence of efficacy and cost.
NHS staff responsible for drug policy sometimes charge drug companies lb15,000 to attend ‘advisory board meetings’, where drug policy is determined, an expose by the Daily Telegraph has uncovered.
One senior NHS official, who helps decide which drugs are given to the public, has admitted to Telegraph reporters-posing as representatives of a drug company-that the practise goes on. The official is responsible for a budget of lb24 million, which he described as ‘virtual money’.
He and another NHS official spoke about being paid fees by drug companies to sit on the ‘advisory panels’. Afterwards, the panel agreed to switch drug usage in favour of the sponsoring companies.
(Source: Daily Telegraph, July 24th, 2015)
