NHS hospital trusts have been slammed by the Department of Health over “wholly unacceptable” plans to cash in on the weak pound by exporting medicines intended for NHS patients.
The DH’s chief pharmceutical officer Keith Ridge has written to all NHS trusts, castigating a “small number” that have been considering exporting the drugs.
Dr Ridge said it was particularly irresponsible to export pharmaceuticals at a time when the supply chain was threatened by the swine flu pandemic.
He warned the plans were “wholly unacceptable” and “threaten patient care”.
A source close to the DH said senior NHS managers and financial directors had been “putting pressure” on hospital pharmacy departments to cash in on the burgeoning export market in UK medicines.
Read more at HSJ.
Tags: Pharmaceuticals
