Trying to save pennies is costing taxpayers pounds
A longstanding drive to save money on the medicines bill is leading to easily preventable medicine shortages and avoidable harm to patients. Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) analysis finds that:
- The Government has squeezed the price it is willing to pay for many medicines so much that the UK is no longer an attractive market to many manufacturers and suppliers.
- Many common medicines subsequently go into short supply.
- The taxpayer is forced to pay inflated prices to secure the supply of those medicines, far outweighing the savings made from driving down prices in the first place.
- Patients and pharmacies find themselves at the very end of a complex medicines supply chain, bearing the brunt of perfectly avoidable medicine shortages.