Drug firm destroys valuable stocks

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32788, 13 December 1971, Page 18

Drug firm destroys valuable stocks

Because of its concern about drug addiction, Burroughs Wellcome and Company, Ltd, had destroyed stocks of raw materials and tablets worth, on a conservative estimate, more than Sim on the black market, the medical adviser to the company (Dr W. G. Wilson) said in a letter to “The Press.”

Dr Wilson said he had followed with interest the publicity concerning the indiscriminate prescribing and use of stimulant drags, of which two mentioned, methedrine and dexamphoid, were products of his company. On March 1,1970, the Wellcome Foundation stopped the manufacture and sale of these products because of the company’s concern about addiction. The medical indications for their use were few, limited mainly to medical conditions requiring specialist psychiatric advice and treatment, although they had enjoyed widespread popularity for the treatment of obesity, Dr Wilson said. When it was decided to

stop making and selling the drugs, the existing stocks were destroyed. “Frequently it is implied that pharmaceutical companies are more interested in the commercial aspects of their perationsc and show little concern for the health of society,” said Dr Wilson. “As my letter shows, reputable companies are well aware of their responsibilities, and in this case the community concern was anticipated more than 18 months ago.”