NHS patients losing out as life-saving drug are sole abroad Society The Observer

A pharmaceuticals wrapping line at Roche, Switzerland. Photograph: EPA

Life-saving medicines meant usually for sale in the UK are being sole for traffic at outrageous mark-ups, causing an strident necessity of drug that is putting patients" lives at risk, the Observer has established.

A "shopping list" from would-be buyers sent to UK pharmacies and wholesalers and seen by the Observer reveals they are being speedy to sell on a little medicines for up to 30% some-more than they would get from the NHS.

Pharmacies are being gift £930 for a march of Humira, a disinfectant for rheumatoid arthritis that they routinely buy for £715, giving them an present distinction of 30%. Those concerned in the traffic – believed to be a handful of brute pharmacies and wholesalers – are gift £76.50 for a month"s march of Femara, a drug used to provide breast cancer patients, that UK pharmacies can buy for £60.85, earning them a 25% profit.

A pre-filled syringe of Aranesp, used to provide ongoing renal failure, can be sole on for a 21% mark-up. The burgeoning traffic can be attributed to the slip in the value of argent opposite the euro, that has meant UK drug prices are right away a little of the cheapest in Europe.

But last night MPs branded the make use of as reprobate and warned that those concerned could be committing a rapist act. Mike O"Brien, the health minister, said: "So far, we have had no reports of any deaths, but we don"t wish to get there simply since a couple of unethical traders are offered drug for distinction in to Europe, and as a outcome are causing a little localised shortages."

According to the Department of Health"s curative services negotiating committee, 41 medicines together with Zyprexa, that is used to provide people with schizophrenia, Actonel, for osteoporosis sufferers, and Cipralex, an antidepressant, are in short supply in a little areas of the country.

A Hertfordshire lady being treated with colour for breast cancer, who wished not to be named, was told by her internal pharmacy at Sainsbury"s that it was out of batch of Femara. "In the end, they were means to whistle up 7 tablets but that was all," she said. "I don"t know what any lady after me would have done." She was in a state of be scared when told the pharmacy was out of the drug. "I thought, cling to on a minute, if I miss a inscription for the subsequent day or two, those brute cells are going to begin multiplying."

Olivia Marks-Woldman, head of process and campaigns at Breast Cancer Care, pronounced the gift was wakeful that people were struggling to acquire the drug after multiform patients phoned the helpline.

"A diagnosis of breast cancer brings a formidable range of romantic and unsentimental concerns, and being incompetent to entrance required drug can usually means additional stress at an already formidable time," she said.

O"Brien warned those concerned in the traffic to desist. "We can"t concede speculators to criticise the NHS. There is a authorised requisite for pharmacists and others to put their patients first. If they destroy to do that, they can be struck off."

Concerns about the necessity of drug and vaccines stirred the supervision last week to hold an puncture limit with traffic bodies. It was concluded that pharmacies and wholesalers believed to be intent in the make use of will be theme to pointless inspections.

Privately, a little pharmacies censure drug manufacturers for not putting enough medicines in to the UK, a explain denied by the curative giants.

They contend there is enough supply, but most is being exported true to the continent. Some companies supply the drug approach to the pharmacies rather than make use of wholesalers, but there are claims this has led to placement problems.

John Turk, arch senior manager of the National Pharmacy Association, said: "The immeasurable infancy of pharmacists have zero to do with disinfectant exports. Pharmacists are putting in substantial additional work each day sourcing medicines for their patients, who competence differently humour days of worry."

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, pronounced pharmacists had told him the industry was spending 1.7m hours a year perplexing to acquire drug not straightforwardly available. "That"s an impassioned rubbish of time and money," Lamb said. Many pharmacists have to ask puncture supplies.

Industry total performed by the Observer show that there was a 1,156% enlarge in puncture deliveries of drug in between Jan and May 2009, compared with same duration in 2008.

Internal industry investigate suggests 11% of the UK"s 12,600 pharmacies and a small series of dispensing doctors are exploiting the complement by ludicrous medicines meant for British patients.

The traffic is estimated to be right away value a little £30m a month. Last June, Keith Ridge, the arch pharmacist for England, wrote to NHS sanatorium arch pharmacists notice them about the unlawful trade.