General Chat

So now the Government can afford to vaccinate babies against meningitis.

Considering the terrible losses because of this illness, and the cost to help children who lose limbs or part of limbs, or suffer hearing loss etc, wasn't it false economy to delay using this vaccine? Not to mention the emotional side of the situation when a child dies or is effected profoundly.

There must be a way to safely keep the costs down on medication charges from the pharmaceutical companies on all drugs that would save lives and/or prevent suffering.

Lizx

thank goodness for that - long overdue - you can't put a price on a life or health

Pharmaceutical companies are just interested in making huge profits.

Pharma companies have to make profits to fund research - no research, no new drugs.

I think you'll find a lot of charities fund the research/help fund the research.
Some of them even state this in their names eg, Cancer Research!!

Oh, and the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Meningitis Research Foundation have paid millions, as have other Meningitis charities.

..so a lot of research is paid for by charities, and the pharmaceutical companies still overprice their drugs :-|

And who is it who donates to charities - the public most of whom pay taxes too. Apparently this vaccine could have been available a year ago if the price could have been agreed.

How many children have died or been left disabled in that year? Seeing those little ones on tv learning to cope with no fingers or hands, no feet or legs, when they were born whole is heartbreaking and I can only imagine how devastated their families must be.


There always seems to be enough money for frivolous things.

Liz

We lost a Grandson to this horrid illness 20years ago, so forgive me standing on my soapbox.

We all know that some pharmaceutical companies overprice their drugs, you only have to look in the supermarkets/poundland/chemists to see that.


When they had the new vaccine ready to go it should have done so, to help prevent any more precious children suffering.

Not saying they charge too much, but under a scheme limiting the amount of profit pharmaceutical companies make out of the NHS, the pharmaceutical companies had to give the NHS a £74million rebate!

http://www.pharmafile.com/news/189129/government-gets-74m-rebate-pharma


...don't suppose the rebate went directly to the NHS, though :-(

I'm normally against nationalisation; but I think there is a strong case for nationalising the pharmaceutical industry. Profit should not be put before human life.

Carol, my deepest sympathy, I am sorry to have opened your wounds.

I too don't think the rebate went where it should have, and yes, something should be done to get vaccines and any medication to where it's needed as soon as possible, no faffing about negotiating prices.

Liz

...and how much are the people who faff about negotiating prices paid?

...not that I'm totally fed up with excessively paid jobs being 'created' :-D