Tag: Shelley Jofre

Who’s paying your Doctor?

With the NHS drug bill topping £10 billion in 2013, this BBC investigation examines the tactics employed by drug companies to tap into that lucrative market and influence which medicines your doctor prescribes

With the NHS drug bill topping £10 billion in 2013, this investigation examines the tactics employed by drug companies to tap into that lucrative market and influence which medicines your doctor prescribes.

Strict rules govern drug company spending in the UK, but still they pay out millions to doctors to attend and speak at conferences. Panorama goes undercover to see this subtle persuasion at work and asks whether you should have the right to know who is paying your doctor.

And as Britain’s most profitable drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, waits to hear whether it will face criminal charges following allegations of bribery in China, the programme reveals new evidence that GSK was recently paying doctors to boost prescriptions much closer to home, in Europe.

More info and Videos

Watch “The Truth about Pills and Pregnancy”

BBC Panorama video with reporter Shelley Jofre

Many women have to take medicines while pregnant. But could they be risking the health of their unborn child? Decades after the Thalidomide scandal shocked the world, Panorama reveals how another medicine has damaged far more children. Drugs cannot be tested on pregnant women for ethical reasons, so doctors do not know if most prescription drugs are safe for the unborn child, and the system set up to monitor side-effects appears to be flawed. As evidence emerges that some common antidepressants are linked to heart defects in babies, the programme asks how much we really know about the safety of medicines women take while pregnant

    • Video by dixiefid64, Published on 3 Jul 2013.
    • The program is very interesting but unfortunately does not mention the DES drug tragedy. Once again DES is ignored. WHY? It would have been such a great opportunity. What’s wrong with DES? Is it because with DES, the Media can’t show upsetting photos of children born with no arms or legs like the victims of Thalidomide, or newborn babies who have undergone traumatic heart surgery because of the effects associated with the antidepressant drug their mum took during pregnancy? Is it because DES is the very first drug scandal which should have prevented many others to happen? All victims of drugs prescribed during pregnancy should join forces! The stories are all the same and highlights the same failure of our health system and the government response to the devastating consequences of these drugs. DES, Thalidomide, epilepsy drug Epilim, antidepressants … how many more victims are needed to put in place safeguards to protect mothers and their unborn child?
    • Find out more about DES exposure and the long-term health effects associated with prenatal exposure to DES drug.
More DES DiEthylStilbestrol Resources

The Truth about Pills and Pregnancy

With BBC Panorama Reporter Shelley Jofre

The Truth about Pills and Pregnancy
Watch The Truth about Pills and Pregnancy with @BBCPanorama – Reporter @ShelleyJofre

Many women have to take medicines while pregnant. But could they be risking the health of their unborn child? Decades after the Thalidomide scandal shocked the world, Panorama reveals how another medicine has damaged far more children. Drugs cannot be tested on pregnant women for ethical reasons, so doctors do not know if most prescription drugs are safe for the unborn child, and the system set up to monitor side-effects appears to be flawed. As evidence emerges that some common antidepressants are linked to heart defects in babies, the programme asks how much we really know about the safety of medicines women take while pregnant.

On YouYube

Watch “The Truth about Pills and Pregnancy” video on YouTube

Broadcasts

  • On BBC One, Monday 1 Jul 2013 at 20:30.
  • On BBC News Channel, Thursday 4 Jul 2013 at 04:30.
  • On BBC Two, Friday 5 Jul 2013 at 00:20.
  • Reporter: Shelley Jofre.

Let’s see if the BBC mentions DES following the 2012 DES UK Media Coverage. Find out more about DES exposure and the long-term health effects associated with prenatal exposure to DES drug.

More DES DiEthylStilbestrol Resources