Jeff Green thinks the original blacklist should be revisited.
Thanks Jeff.
I think the blacklist has had it's day and should be scrapped. I believe
the original list will, however, be revisited. The ACD had an appropriate
nickname in it's early days ; "The Mucodyne Committee". There were some
crazy decisions made. I hasten to add that was before my time on the ACD.
Fortunately the emphasis is much more on obtaining fair price reductions
now, rather than blacklisting. The workload in looking at the new categories
was phenomenal, particularly trying to make sense of dermatology
preparations. There are some excellent people on the committee, and the
debates were always fascinating and fun. I learnt a great deal. The deputy
CMO, Jeremy Metters chaired the committee very well, and he allowed the GPs
to have an effective say. Transparency regulation and challenges by the drug
manufacturers make the operation of the committee increasingly cumbersome.
There have been some notable successes eg Zimovane, but look at the
subsequent market share! A revamped PPRS (Pharmaceutical Price Regulation
Scheme) would make far more sense. The problem with committees like the ACD
is that they are difficult to disband. There is constant need to update,
costs change rapidly, and new drugs and formulations make nonsense of
earlier decisions. They are also very expensive to service, especially with
the increasing legal input that is required.
Scrap it. Don't revisit something so outdated and unnecessary. The
irritation caused to GPs was one of many factors which precipitated the low
morale which persists in general practice. Any small savings are more than
offset by the damage done.
Peter Fellows
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