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Andrew Lansley Suing French Drug Firm Who 'Billed NHS £220m Too Much' For Blood Pressure Pills

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is suing a French drugs giant for £220million for overcharging the NHS for blood pressure drugs.

He has accused Servier of forcing doctors to pay for expensive versions of the pills when far cheaper ones were available.

Mr Lansley also claims the company paid rivals millions not to make cheaper copycat versions.

This battle centres on Servier’s Perindopril, a once-a-day tablet taken by tens of thousands of Britons to treat high blood pressure and heart disease.

Servier’s patent on the drug – its copyright on its invention of the pills – ran out in 2001, at which point other firms should have been allowed to make their own versions.

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Extract taken from Mail Online