Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Scotland
The ABPI in Scotland is an arm of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. It works together with the Scottish Parliament, patients, healthcare professionals and managers of the NHS to 'ensure that the people of Scotland have access to the best quality healthcare, including modern medicines'.[1]
The ABPI represents 75 companies in the United Kingdom that research, manufacture and supply 80 per cent of the medicines that the national health service prescribes.
ABPI commissioned a pharmaco-economic research from NERA Economic Consulting on two particular disease areas in Scotland—coronary heart disease and diabetes showing that the level of expenditure on cholesterol lowering medicines—statins is still profitable for NHS in overall terms. [2]
In 2002 nurses became authorised to write out prescriptions and since then they have been bombarded with approaches from pharmaceutical companies. This new link between nurses and representatives of pharmaceutical companies is receiving much attention after doctors/pharma link:
"prescribing decisions may be affected by a 'free lunch culture' which sees doctors whisked off to conferences and briefing seminars that are often held in plush hotels or overseas."[3]
Location
Location
Third Floor East, Crichton House, 4 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8DT Telephone: +44 (0) 870 890 4333 Fax: +44 (0) 131 523 0491
People
Affiliations
Scottish Diabetes Industry Group was set up in 2002 under the auspices of the ABPI Scotland
The Royal College of Physicians
