I just headed on over to the MHRA website to see if they had reacted to last night's airing of Panorama's exposé regarding GlaxoSmithKline's, Avandia. Also to see if they had anything to say about last night's claims that they are dragging their heels over this issue.
Well, the lead 'headline' on the MHRA website sees those wonderful medicine police in back slapping form once again.
Here's what they lead with today [7th Sept 2010]
Press release: Suspended sentence for the illegal sale and supply of sex drugs
A 61-year-old man from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, received a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years yesterday (Monday 6 September), with supervision for one year, at Birmingham Crown Court for the illegal sale and supply of erectile dysfunction medicines.
Badda Bing, Badda Boom.
Once again, the 'independent, impartial, without any conflict of interest regulator, busts someone for selling fake pills.
GO MHRA - YOU GUYS ROCK!
To be fair, they did make an announcement yesterday regarding Avandia... wait for it now...
"The MHRA is contributing to the ongoing Europe wide review of rosiglitazone."
Fantastic. So those of you unfortunate enough to be taking Avandia and are concerned with the high rate of heart attacks whilst on this drug, don't you worry your pretty little heads about it. Those excellent boys from Vauxhall, London are watching your backs...or should that be chests?
Last night's Panorama highlighted how there were around one million prescriptions for Avandia in the UK alone last year. That's one million potential heart attacks.
The MHRA did send a warning letter out to all your doctor's though... but how many of your doctor's actually read that letter?
It's not compulsory for your GP to read any information it receives from the MHRA, these warnings aren't sent down a line to the computer portal that sits in your GP's surgery, oh no, heaven forbid they ever grasp 21st century technology. The warnings are mailed and it is entirely up to the GP whether or not he A: reads it and B: Acts on it.
Many doctor's like to think programmes such as Panorama are merely scaremongering. How many times have you had a GP shake his head and laugh and tell you, "All drugs have side effects"?
Meantime, the 'non-inforcement' policing of the drugs you and I take fits like a hand in a velvet glove for the pharmaceutical industry.
Forget the potential one million heart attacks, go out and nab those taking money away from the pharmaceutical industry, you know, those guys selling fake drugs down the gym.
There was a massive push sometime ago by the MHRA. They, along with Viagra manufacturer, Pfizer, teamed up to produce a series of adverts warning the British public about the dangers of purchasing prescription drugs online.
Here's one of the posters from their website, REALDANGER. Get Real, Get a Prescription™
In other words, don't buy your erection tablets from Mr Jones from Gwent, buy them from Pfizer.
The MHRA would argue, and rightly so, that the promotional ads were to warn the public of the dangers of buying prescription drugs online.
They should take more heed of the prescription drugs written by GP's and dispensed at chemist's up and down the UK.
Then again... there would be no back slapping parties for busting that guy down the gym with a locker full of blue 'stiffy' pills.
Any chance of a 30 second commercial regarding the dangers of Avandia or Seroxat, or maybe a promotional poster warning consumers that the prescription we have just dispensed may cause us horrific side effects, and in some cases, death.
Is it really too much to ask or do we have to rely on Panorama's Shelley Jofre to do your job for you again...and again...and again.
Back story - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2009 - UK Regualtor and Pfizer: From the silver screen to the small screen
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'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman
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