Regent-GM Laboratories Ltd - Revision history

Lynn Hill: /* NHS £400m Rip Off? */

2008-06-12T14:04:20Z

NHS £400m Rip Off?

Lynn Hill: /* NHS £400m Rip Off? */

2008-06-12T14:00:28Z

NHS £400m Rip Off?

Lynn Hill at 13:00, 22 May 2008

2008-05-22T13:00:50Z

Lynn Hill: new page started

2008-05-22T12:59:43Z

new page started

New page

In 2003, former Conservative Health Minister, [[Gerry Malone]], is reported to be the chairman of [[Regent-GM Laboratories Ltd]]<ref>The Times 'The week that was Britain'. 27th December 2003</ref>

==NHS £400m Rip Off?==

After initial enquiries carried out by the Counter Fraud Directorate of the Department of Health, The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) began an investigation 'into a suspected conspiracy to defraud the NHS in relation to prices charged by suppliers for prescribed penicillin based antibiotics and warfarin between 1st January 1996 and 31st December 2000'<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_510.asp?id=510 Suspected fraud on the National Health Service] Press release 10th April 2002. Accessed 4th April 2008</ref>.

The six pharmaceutical companies being investigated were<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_510.asp?id=510 Suspected fraud on the National Health Service] Press release 10th April 2002. Accessed 4th April 2008</ref>:

* [[Generics UK Ltd]].
* [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Ltd]].
* [[Regent-GM Laboratories Ltd]].
* [[Goldshield Group Plc]].
* [[Norton Healthcare Ltd]] - a subsidiary of [[Ivax Corporation]]
* [[Ranbaxy (UK) Ltd]] - a subsidiary of [[Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd]]

The Daily Mail reports<ref>NEWLING, D. (2003) Drug firms 'in price-fix scam'. The Daily Mail. 22nd December 2003</ref> that 'NHS investigators claim that in 1997 and 1998 senior representatives from the seven firms met near Heathrow and agreed to act together'. According to the NHS's Claim Form, 'A series of meetings followed at which the defendants negotiated a sophisticated scheme by means of which the prices and supply of penicillins in the UK market could be controlled and manipulated'. It is alleged that this involved 'raising prices and restricting supply' in order to 'almost quadruple the cost of the common antibiotic amoxicillin'. The allegations also relate to the price fixing of over 30 other drugs.

The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies (including Norton Healthcare) 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited) alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Pharmaceutical Industry]]

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited)  alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).
-According to the <i>Mail on Sunday</i> 'Iraqi-born [[Nadhmi Auchi]]', who is reported to have controlled Regent GM in 2002 'is close to senior New [[Labour]] figures'<ref>Oliver, J. (2002) 'Blair backer faces probe over NHS 'price fixing'; Labour benefactor was boss of drugs company under investigation by Fraud Office'. <i>Mail on Sunday</i>. 21st April 2002</ref>.
+According to the <i>Mail on Sunday</i> 'Iraqi-born [[Nadhmi Auchi]]', who is reported to have controlled Regent GM, 'is close to senior New [[Labour]] figures'<ref>Oliver, J. (2002) 'Blair backer faces probe over NHS 'price fixing'; Labour benefactor was boss of drugs company under investigation by Fraud Office'. <i>Mail on Sunday</i>. 21st April 2002</ref>. The report continued by adding that 'Disgraced former Europe Minister [[Keith Vaz]] once worked as a political fixer for him' and that Auchi 'boasted about giving money to Labour' (although a spokesman for Labour stated that they 'could find no record of any donations').
 ==References==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:00, 12 June 2008
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	The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited) alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).		The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited) alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).
		+
		+	According to the <i>Mail on Sunday</i> 'Iraqi-born [[Nadhmi Auchi]]', who is reported to have controlled Regent GM in 2002 'is close to senior New [[Labour]] figures'<ref>Oliver, J. (2002) 'Blair backer faces probe over NHS 'price fixing'; Labour benefactor was boss of drugs company under investigation by Fraud Office'. <i>Mail on Sunday</i>. 21st April 2002</ref>.

	==References==		==References==

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 The <i>Daily Mail</i> reports<ref>NEWLING, D. (2003) Drug firms 'in price-fix scam'. <i>The Daily Mail</i>. 22nd December 2003</ref> that 'NHS investigators claim that in 1997 and 1998 senior representatives from the seven firms met near Heathrow and agreed to act together'. According to the NHS's Claim Form, 'A series of meetings followed at which the defendants negotiated a sophisticated scheme by means of which the prices and supply of penicillins in the UK market could be controlled and manipulated'. It is alleged that this involved 'raising prices and restricting supply' in order to 'almost quadruple the cost of the common antibiotic amoxicillin'. The allegations also relate to the price fixing of over 30 other drugs.
-The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies (including Norton Healthcare) 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited)  alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).
+The SFO later (27th April 2006) reported<ref>Serious Fraud Office [http://www.sfo.gov.uk/news/prout/pr_466.asp?id=466 Fraud on the National Health Service. Appearance at Magistrates Court] Accessed 4th April 2008</ref> that nine persons appeared in court on 'charges of conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service' along with 5 Companies 'on conspiracy to defraud charges'. The 'persons' were [[Jonathan Raymond Close]] and [[Nicholas Mark Foster]] (both formerly of Norton Healthcare Limited)  alongside [[Denis William O’Neill]] and [[John Stephen Clark]] (of [[Kent Pharmaceuticals Limited]]), [[Luma Auchi]] (formerly of [[Regent-GM Laboratories]]), [[Michael John Frederick Sparrow]] (formerly of [[Generics (UK) Limited]]), [[Anil Kumar Sharma]] (formerly of [[Ranbaxy (UK) Limited]]), [[Ajit Ramanlal Patel]] and [[Kirti Vinubhai Patel]] (of [[Goldshield Group Plc]]).
 ==References==