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On Mon, 18 Nov 1996 04:24:00 GMT, David Jobson wrote: >DJ>> >DJ>Not forging prescriptions, just issuing scripts on the advice of >DJ>consultants, etc with all the clinical responsibility and expense (drugs >are >DJ>cheaper to the NHS when dispensed in hospital). > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >Not really so. > >Cheaper only if available at discount - which most expensive >drugs (e.g. EPO) are not. VAT fouls up the works. > How about if the NHS nationally negotiated directly with the manufacturers for EPO and other highly expensive drugs needed by small numbers of patients. Surely they could get a better deal than individual retail pharmacies can manage. This would be normal practice for a large commercial company, but ironically is too ideologically unsound for the Government, which is committed to local purchasing as part of the internal market. Dr David Evans Cardiff %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%