Glaxo Wellcome, the multinational pharmaceuticals firm, has threatened to quit Britain, possibly in favour of Switzerland or the United States, unless Health Secretary Frank Dobson backs down on plans to ban doctors from prescribing Relenza, the anti-flu drug, on the National Health Service (NHS).
Glaxo chairman Sir Richard Sykes said in a letter to the government that a decision to ban the use of Relenza would damage the entire British drugs industry.
'This represents a very serious threat to the future of one of the UK's most successful international industries,' he said.
A Glaxo spokesman said yesterday that Sir Richard had requested an urgent meeting with the Health Secretary in an attempt to have the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) approve the use of Relenza before the flu season begins.
Glaxo is also considering seeking a judicial review to allow doctors to prescribe the anti-flu drug.
Relenza is the first drug to be reviewed by NICE, which was set up earlier this year to make recommendations to the government on new drugs and medical devices.