Dr. Richard Isaacs: Big Pharma has the upper hand 'and they know it'

Last updated 05:00, May 10 2015 - The ever-increasing cost of medicines is causing Government and industry concern. And as the price of life-saving medicines soar and pharmaceutical companies show no signs of justifying their costs, the Government is warning that something has got to give. Pharmac, the Government's drug buying agency, began funding a key blood cancer drug Thalidomide, manufactured by drug giant Celgene, in 2002. While the true costs of what Pharmac pays are confidential, the list price for the drug in 2002 was $360, based on a daily average dose for a month.