Well it's true. A lot of them are. I'd like to think that some of them are not.
I get the impression that at my NHS clinic there's a few different things going on. Firstly, they are not very well informed about the world of HCV generics. Seeing as things are changing every day I can understand that. Secondly, they've been at this for a long time, decades, and they know what can go wrong, so their caution is understandable too. Lastly, the individuals running the clinic are hogtied by directives from above. They might have some leeway at their discretion but they can't disobey direct rulings.
I think you have to look at the top , the BMC (British Medical Council) to find the people putting out the directives. If I were Big Pharma that's where I would go to 'influence' matters. Then there's the NHS heads, as thick as thieves with their health ministers, each pretending to be horrified and wholly ignorant of what the other is doing. Good cop, bad cop.
And there are consultants like yours who choose not to exercise the discretion that they have. It's a bad show.
dt