For every 250,000 units purchased, Dr Geoffrey Savidge, director of St Thomas’ haemophilia centre, was offered £400, equivalent to almost £2,000 today.
Prof Edward Tuddenham, a leading haematologist and emeritus professor at the Royal Free in London, described the sale of Factor VIII in the 1970s and 1980s as a “free for all”.
“The companies were pushing to get as much of their product bought as they could,” he said.
Prof Tuddenham said St Thomas’ had some of “the highest rates of usage of Factor VIII per patient in the country”.
“Dr Savidge was known for years for using American concentrate,” he said. “He had very well-equipped laboratories. The money must have come from commercial sources.”
Dr Savidge, who died in 2011, gained a reputation for exclusively using imported commercial Factor VIII, even though it was clear the NHS-made version was safer.
At an earlier inquiry in 2007, Dr Savidge described the UK’s Blood Products Laboratory as “antiquated” and said it had “poor manufacturing practices”.
“He used almost exclusively commercial products but he shouldn’t have done,” said Prof Liakat Parapia, former director of the Bradford Haemophilia Centre. “Because of the kickback. Not a nice man.”
Prof Parapia added that pharmaceutical companies giving hospitals money for using their higher-risk Factor VIII was widespread.
Sir Brian Langstaff, the chairman of the inquiry, has ordered the Government to set up a compensation body.
‘Routine practice in the early 1980s’
A spokesman for Bayer said: “The offer of discounts, rebates and other commercial offers associated with the supply of medicines and other products to the NHS, was routine practice in the early 1980s and continues today. The benefit of such arrangements, expressly permitted in applicable legislation, accrues to the NHS and does not determine prescribing by individual healthcare professionals.”
They added that Bayer had cooperated with the Infected Blood Inquiry, saying: “Bayer is truly sorry that this tragic situation occurred.”
A spokesman for Baxter said: “We sympathise with anyone impacted by infected blood in the 1970s and 1980s. Baxter is committed to providing the highest-quality products to its patients and customers, and to conducting its business ethically and compliantly.”
The Poison Line: Life and Death in the Infected Blood Scandal by Cara McGoogan is out now.
Listen to Bed of Lies, a six-part Telegraph podcast laying bare one of the biggest medical disasters in history, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast app.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
