Thought he was locked in the crypt with Whitty waiting for the next pandemic
Anyales on
They really know how to win hearts and minds.
Will their next policy be the compulsory kicking of kittens and puppies?
sjintje on
We should just accept that the nhs can’t afford the latest whizz bang developments and commit to just buying generic drugs or British manufactured drugs. We’re wasting money on expensive drugs that only benefit very few instead of trying to improve treatment for the many.
FootlongDonut on
Honestly, fuck this Tory lite government. This is how we get Reform, by our fucking “progressive” party being a shit version of the Conservatives that people are already tired of.
Acceptable-Scheme884 on
No one’s going to want to hear it, but so far this year, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly have all abandoned billions of pounds worth of brand new facilities in the UK and left because we’re insisting on squeezing them on pricing.
The simple fact is that driving a hard bargain on drug pricing has been used for years as a crutch to prop up a horribly mismanaged health system, and now it’s having knock-on effects.
Anyales on
Its a nonsense drugs are sold internationally not specfic to the country, we have had a successful phama industry for years without high drug prices.
They make the components for most drugs in China and India where generics are rampant. Just another shakedown from billionaires wanting more of our money.
AB_1234567890 on
Look the UK public has to decide whether they want to save money and be okay with being 10 years behind the US and Switzerland in terms of access to the latest drugs. Its just a cost-benefit exercise. Eg decide if it’s okay for example to not cover Mounjaro or Ozempic…for example, and just get the old gen treatments if you have diabetes or obesity that is ultimately life threatening. Profits from the UK are peanuts for most companies including “British ones” of which there are only two out of hundreds now which are Astra and GSK. And even Astra wants to shift their listing and HQ to the US.
SignalButterscotch73 on
Bullshit. The vast majority of drugs are very old and fairly cheap to manufacture with how long established the factories are. That drugs prices have been stable nevermind been going up is mind boggling when you think about almost every other manufacturing industry that has products just as old.
The profit margins in the drugs industry are kinda ridiculous.
The research costs for new drugs are also ridiculously high so I can see why the companies are so eager to keep prices as high as possible but to say it’s “necessary” to raise prices is just bullshit.
ACompletelyLostCause on
Just another well connected shill, saying we need to help boost Pharma profit margins. They make more then enough to pay for further research and pay good dividends, but no amount of profit is ever enough to satisfy shareholders.
ACompletelyLostCause on
Just another well connected shill, saying we need to help boost Pharma profit margins. They make more then enough to pay for further research and pay good dividends, but no amount of profit is ever enough to satisfy shareholders.
Supercookie01 on
I’ll make no claim to be an economist, but why can’t we just ignore these pharma twats and invest more in our own medical research for these drugs? Keep it internal and all that
Inglorious555 on
It isn’t necessary but whatever floats your boat
They’ll deem it necessary now and deem it necessary when they do it again… And again… And again…
Von_Uber on
‘From 2012 to 2018, he was president of Research and Development (R&D) at the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).’
Huh. Look at that.
SensitivePotato44 on
AstraZeneca gross profit 2024. $43 Billion
GlaxoSmithKline £34 billion
Novartis Net $12 billion
No they fucking aren’t
Transasaurus-Hex on
“WE CAN’T EXTORT THEM HOW WE WANT TO” Is certainly a hill to die on.
Scoobilatchi on
That’s ridiculous. It’s already gone up £5 for a quarter of skunk this year. And don’t even get me started on how much crack costs these days!
Numerous_Green4962 on
Do they want to drag us back to the 80s when only bankers could afford coke?
Alive_kiwi_7001 on
As pharma companies are apparently flocking to the US to get kicked in the teeth over tariffs and worm-brain’s craziness, the answer seems to be not doing what they want but the complete opposite. It is apparently the only language they understand.
wkavinsky on
Or not.
The actual manufacturing costs of medicine are tiny, for the most part, and a lot of the initial research is either done in Uni’s (funded by many governments, including the UK), or directly in government labs.
That the US big Pharma companies want us to pay the US’s rip off prices is irrelevant – and, at the end of the day, copy right is an optional system . . .
Jasta_1331 on
I bet a quick search of this guy won’t find anything about him having an interest in pharmaceutical companies making more money will it. He’s going to be totally upstanding and not self serving in the slightest.
Conscious_Cell1825 on
Does this guy still have shares in GSK? He did in 2020 but I can’t find anything more up to date.
Rumpled_Imp on
Guy who worked at Glaxo and probably still has shares in Glaxo insists we ought to give more of our money to Glaxo.
5harp3dges on
Necessary for what?
Lining your pockets more perhaps?
Afterlast1 on
oh of course my lord, whatever you need my lord, raise more money for the wars yes, whatever else can your serf doth provide you? Can I also give you my sheep and my youngest daughter?
limaconnect77 on
That’s a big no from me dawg. Starmer could easily subsidise this or just tell these clowns to eat the extras.
Jurassic_Bun on
Write to your MP. I really wish people would put the same issue into active political participation as they do Reddit. People should be bombarding their MPs more. I know I will be though he’s reform so you know how that will go.
NuggetKing9001 on
Of course they are. Everything going up in price is just “necessary”. For who? Not the consumer.
steveozzy on
The Pharma industry is not in the business of curing anything, just making money from repeat use of their products.
Willywonka5725 on
How much money does he have invested in pharma companies?
i-readit2 on
Why is a lord involved in the commercial pharmaceuticals pricing policy . What is going on here
Bright-Ad9305 on
This guy is still around? I thought/hoped he had disappeared…
34 commenti
Poor pudding is annoyed because he knows there is so much more money that can be made from healthcare.
Hmmm, I think thats a big nope on that one there Lordy lord
Literally the opposite of what the BMJ just said…
https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r2009.full
Thought he was locked in the crypt with Whitty waiting for the next pandemic
They really know how to win hearts and minds.
Will their next policy be the compulsory kicking of kittens and puppies?
We should just accept that the nhs can’t afford the latest whizz bang developments and commit to just buying generic drugs or British manufactured drugs. We’re wasting money on expensive drugs that only benefit very few instead of trying to improve treatment for the many.
Honestly, fuck this Tory lite government. This is how we get Reform, by our fucking “progressive” party being a shit version of the Conservatives that people are already tired of.
No one’s going to want to hear it, but so far this year, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly have all abandoned billions of pounds worth of brand new facilities in the UK and left because we’re insisting on squeezing them on pricing.
In 2018, the UK spent 9% of our total health spending on medicines. France spent 15%, Germany, Japan, and Italy spent 17%, and Spain spent 18% ([source](https://www.abpi.org.uk/media/blogs/2025/march/understanding-nhs-medicines-spending-in-england)).
The simple fact is that driving a hard bargain on drug pricing has been used for years as a crutch to prop up a horribly mismanaged health system, and now it’s having knock-on effects.
Its a nonsense drugs are sold internationally not specfic to the country, we have had a successful phama industry for years without high drug prices.
They make the components for most drugs in China and India where generics are rampant. Just another shakedown from billionaires wanting more of our money.
Look the UK public has to decide whether they want to save money and be okay with being 10 years behind the US and Switzerland in terms of access to the latest drugs. Its just a cost-benefit exercise. Eg decide if it’s okay for example to not cover Mounjaro or Ozempic…for example, and just get the old gen treatments if you have diabetes or obesity that is ultimately life threatening. Profits from the UK are peanuts for most companies including “British ones” of which there are only two out of hundreds now which are Astra and GSK. And even Astra wants to shift their listing and HQ to the US.
Bullshit. The vast majority of drugs are very old and fairly cheap to manufacture with how long established the factories are. That drugs prices have been stable nevermind been going up is mind boggling when you think about almost every other manufacturing industry that has products just as old.
The profit margins in the drugs industry are kinda ridiculous.
The research costs for new drugs are also ridiculously high so I can see why the companies are so eager to keep prices as high as possible but to say it’s “necessary” to raise prices is just bullshit.
Just another well connected shill, saying we need to help boost Pharma profit margins. They make more then enough to pay for further research and pay good dividends, but no amount of profit is ever enough to satisfy shareholders.
Just another well connected shill, saying we need to help boost Pharma profit margins. They make more then enough to pay for further research and pay good dividends, but no amount of profit is ever enough to satisfy shareholders.
I’ll make no claim to be an economist, but why can’t we just ignore these pharma twats and invest more in our own medical research for these drugs? Keep it internal and all that
It isn’t necessary but whatever floats your boat
They’ll deem it necessary now and deem it necessary when they do it again… And again… And again…
‘From 2012 to 2018, he was president of Research and Development (R&D) at the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).’
Huh. Look at that.
AstraZeneca gross profit 2024. $43 Billion
GlaxoSmithKline £34 billion
Novartis Net $12 billion
No they fucking aren’t
“WE CAN’T EXTORT THEM HOW WE WANT TO” Is certainly a hill to die on.
That’s ridiculous. It’s already gone up £5 for a quarter of skunk this year. And don’t even get me started on how much crack costs these days!
Do they want to drag us back to the 80s when only bankers could afford coke?
As pharma companies are apparently flocking to the US to get kicked in the teeth over tariffs and worm-brain’s craziness, the answer seems to be not doing what they want but the complete opposite. It is apparently the only language they understand.
Or not.
The actual manufacturing costs of medicine are tiny, for the most part, and a lot of the initial research is either done in Uni’s (funded by many governments, including the UK), or directly in government labs.
That the US big Pharma companies want us to pay the US’s rip off prices is irrelevant – and, at the end of the day, copy right is an optional system . . .
I bet a quick search of this guy won’t find anything about him having an interest in pharmaceutical companies making more money will it. He’s going to be totally upstanding and not self serving in the slightest.
Does this guy still have shares in GSK? He did in 2020 but I can’t find anything more up to date.
Guy who worked at Glaxo and probably still has shares in Glaxo insists we ought to give more of our money to Glaxo.
Necessary for what?
Lining your pockets more perhaps?
oh of course my lord, whatever you need my lord, raise more money for the wars yes, whatever else can your serf doth provide you? Can I also give you my sheep and my youngest daughter?
That’s a big no from me dawg. Starmer could easily subsidise this or just tell these clowns to eat the extras.
Write to your MP. I really wish people would put the same issue into active political participation as they do Reddit. People should be bombarding their MPs more. I know I will be though he’s reform so you know how that will go.
Of course they are. Everything going up in price is just “necessary”. For who? Not the consumer.
The Pharma industry is not in the business of curing anything, just making money from repeat use of their products.
How much money does he have invested in pharma companies?
Why is a lord involved in the commercial pharmaceuticals pricing policy . What is going on here
This guy is still around? I thought/hoped he had disappeared…