Reckitt Benckiser

Despite apparent proof that it effectively ripped off the British government to the tune of millions of pounds, drug maker Reckitt Benckiser tries to say that it is "a responsible firm which behaved honestly and ethically"

So honestly and ethically it appears to have wilfully abused the regulatory process to turn its stomach drug, Gaviscon, into "a generic"

An executive from Reckitt wrote this in an e-mail: "Should we not drag it out as long as possible... nine million pounds of business is at stake"

Furthermore, it is alleged (no smoke without fire) that Reckitt misled doctors and had behaved unethically in some of its dealings with them. Its response to that accusation?... "this was an unfortunate one-off incident"

Presumably, this one-off incident excuse also applies to the fact that Reckitt delayed the introduction of a generic for Gaviscon in 2000.

In 2003.

In 2006.

Oh, and again in 2006.

Generic copies of the drug could have saved the NHS, and UK taxpayers, over £40 million. A parliamentary select committee is now all set to investigate the fact that there is STILL no generic equivalent when Reckitt has an 88% hold on the market for this kind of medicine.

Reckitt Benckiser says that "patient care and safety has driven all its actions"

So, not good old-fashioned greed and profiteering then? The stuff that shit is gripped by.

In the USA Gaviscon is made and marketed by pharmaceutical behemoth GlaxoSmithKline. Not that I am suggesting for one minute that USA drug companies act in anyway as unethically as Reckitt Bencksier seems to have done. Perish the very thought.