Drug companies place public health behind profit: report

The relationship between government and the UK pharmaceutical industry has focused too heavily on developing new medicinal drugs to the detriment of research into other ways of improving health, according to a report by a leading think tank today.

The King’s Fund report, 'Getting the Right Medicines?', also claimed that the pharmaceutical industry has "neglected major groups" such as children, women and older people, whose specific health needs are "not taken fully into account".

These factors have led to a situation where research to protect and promote health attracts far fewer resources than research to find new and profitable drugs, the think tank claimed.

The report has called for: the relationship between government and the pharmaceutical industry to be made more explicit; more involvement between patients, the public and the decision-makers through a Health Research and Development Task Force; and a radical change in research priorities, towards low-risk drugs, self-administered treatments, and non-invasive interventions.

According to the report, the main reason for this has been the "failure of successive governments" to clarify its health-related research and development objectives – which has led to the public playing "virtually no part" in determining research priorities, the group said.

Report author Anthony Harrison said: “We want to see a relationship develop between government and the pharmaceutical industry that is geared towards the promotion of health, not just the promotion of wealth.

"For too long, the pharmaceutical industry has been in the driving seat of this relationship, with government acting as a passive purchaser of drugs. Whilst this partnership has undoubtedly been an economic success, the interests of patients and the public clearly do not always coincide with what will be most profitable for the pharmaceutical industry.”

(gmcg)