Jump to full article: Sydney Morning Herald (au), 2003-04-19
Author: Ruth Pollard, Health Writer
Intro: A multi-billion dollar drug company is fighting the Federal Government in court over measures that reduce subsidies for its anti-smoking pill.
The Government is trying to cut the cost to the taxpayer of the anti-smoking drug, Zyban, produced by the multinational GlaxoSmithKline, which in 2002 had global sales of more than $50 billion.
Late last year, in response to concerns about the cost effectiveness of the current prescribing regime, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee reduced the number of tablets available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. . .
The Government proposes allowing patients who keep taking the drug after a fortnight to return to their doctor for a prescription to cover the rest of the nine-week period.
In the Federal Court hearing on March 31 and April 1, counsel for the Government said the two-week prescription would provide the opportunity for patients to get extra support from their doctor, reduce wastage and improve cost effectiveness.
But counsel for GlaxoSmithKline labelled the committee's decision on Zyban as "prejudicial", and said increasing access to counselling for people taking the drug would be a more effective way to deal with non-completion of a full course. . .
Simon Chapman, a professor of public health at Sydney University and an anti-tobacco campaigner, along with three other physicians, resigned from Glaxo's smoking-cessation consortium on Wednesday in protest over the court action.
He believes the court action was "almost certainly" motivated by the company's desire to access the maximum Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme funding for the drug.
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