2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

October

Tuesday 30 October 2007

BMA responded to the APPG report on The Future of Pharmacy

Guest speaker - Dr Laurence Buckman, Chairman, General Practioners Committee, British Medical Association

Click here to read a report the meeting.

June

Tuesday 26 June 2007

All-Party Pharmacy Group AGM and summer reception

On 26 June 2007 the Group held its AGM at the House of Commons. Each of the Officers indicated their willingness to stand again for their respective positions and each was re-elected. The meeting was attended by around 130 guests and parliamentary colleagues including Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Minister of State at the Department of Health. Both he and Dr Stoate made speeches and the occasion marked the launch of the Group's Report on the Future of Pharmacy.

Click here to read Dr Howard Stoate's speech.

Health Minister Lord Hunt is welcomed to the Group's AGM by Dr Howard Stoate MP

May

Wednesday 16 May 2007

Ethical Pharmaceuticals - A revolution in drug development?

Guest speakers were;

Dr Sunil Shaunak, Imperial College & Hammersmith Hospital
Steve Brocchini, Professor of Chemistry, London School of Pharmacy
Dr Philip Wright, Director of Science & Technology, ABPI

Dr Mark Felton, GSK

Dr Sunil Shaunak and Steve Brocchini told the APPG that they had developed a new way to alter the molecular structure of certain protein-based drugs to produce equally effective products at a lower cost. The duo claimed that this innovation could have global impact on the access and affordability of drugs, particularly for developing nations. They called on Government to make changes to the current research and development legislation allowing for more transparency. They also called for the development of pharmaceuticals legislation, reducing development's reliance on market mechanisms and for Government to encourage further opportunities for public and private partnership.

In response, the APPG heard from Dr Philip Wright who voiced concerns about the safety of these new altered drugs. Dr Wright specifically noted that a significant proportion of the high cost of drug development came from the length of time and financial cost of guaranteeing safety, with 30% of a drug's overall cost being absorbed by clinical safety studies. He also rejected claims that industry R&D wasn't transparent, stating that all costs and profits featured in a companies annual results.

Dr Wright and Dr Mark Felton noted that the pharmaceutical industry was involved in a range of not for profit schemes to meet the same objective of delivering affordable healthcare to developing nations, TB and Malaria projects were cited as examples. Additionally, they both noted that effectively distributing drugs to developing countries is dependent on a range of factors other than cost, including infrastructure and on the ground health care delivery.

The Q&A session was lively, with the audience asking for further detail about how the new drugs could be made and commenting on the issues associated with private/public partnerships.