PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AND SOCIETY

Based on the report of the Health Committee of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain "Influence of the pharmaceutical industry", the current state of many problems that are of high relevance both for specialists and for representatives of the general public in different countries is highlighted. Various aspects of the activities of pharmaceutical companies are described in close connection with the state of the regulatory sphere, the pricing process for medicines, and progress in medicine. The proposals of the Committee on solving existing problems and the conclusions on this matter by the UK Pharmaceutical Industry Association and the UK government are presented.

Pharmaceutical companies produce drugs that help prolong and improve the quality of life of people. State policy is aimed at the use of effective and safe drugs. This way of looking at things is in the interests of both the government and the pharmaceutical industry, whose combined efforts are aimed at reinforcing such claims in the public mind. However, as the compilers of the UK House of Commons Health Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) report "The Impact of the Pharmaceutical Industry" published in April 2005 (hereinafter referred to as the Report) make clear, the lack of adequate mechanisms to direct the activities of the industry in accordance with the interests of society , has a significant, defining effect on people's health (House of Commons Health Committee, 2005). The document pays great attention to the facts that testify to the discrepancy between commercial and public interests. If this tension is not properly controlled, patients will continue to take drugs that often bring some benefit, and occasionally significant harm.

In June 2004, the Committee announced its intention to study the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the development, conduct of clinical trials and promotion of drugs, the provision of information, professional education and patient education, regulatory assessments of drug safety and efficacy, drug pricing. During the preparation of the Report, the views of ministers and other officials of the Departments of Health (Department of Health), Trade and Industry (Department of Trade and Industry), medical professionals and pharmaceutical industry specialists, scientists, journalists, employees of PR companies, members of public and charitable organizations, Parliament,

During the preparation of the Report, specialists visited several countries, including Australia and New Zealand, in order to study the peculiarities of the regulatory systems of different countries, and also visited the modern production facilities of GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Pfizer corporations.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The UK pharmaceutical industry is large, profitable and competitive. It has been called "the jewel in the crown of the British economy". The commercial success of the industry is undeniable. In terms of sales, it ranks fifth in the world, accumulating 7% of the world volume and second only to the USA, Japan, Germany and France. The UK is the third largest drug exporter, with the third largest trade surplus. Only 3% of global prescription drug sales are in the UK, while the industry's R&D spending is 10% global and more than half in Europe. Pharmacy is the third most profitable industry, following the tourism and financial sectors of the economy, which directly employs 83,000 people.

Reports received by the compilers of the Report indicate that in recent years, large pharmaceutical companies rely mainly on marketing approaches in their activities. As noted in the paper, this is the source of many global problems. It is emphasized that the regulatory system, medical and pharmaceutical workers, and the government have not ensured that the activities of the industry are unconditionally consistent with the interests of patients and the National Health Service (NHS). The consequences of this, as noted in the Report, are, in particular, the unsafe use of drugs and an increase in the so-called medicalization of society.