NICE are not just a make of dull biscuits, they are the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, a government health advisory body advises the NHS in England and Wales on which drugs to buy. As a show of independence their boss Professor Sir Michael Rawlins has said he’s fed up with pharmaceutical companies of driving up the price of medicine. “Pharmaceutical companies have enjoyed double-digit growth year on year and they are out to sustain that, not least because their senior management’s earnings are related to the share price.” Sir Mike said companies set high prices as a means of “cushioning” against the time when their products are no longer protected by patents and competitors can then make cheaper versions. The other whopper he unveiled is that marketing costs of the drugs are generally about twice the spend on research and development. Those are Hollywood statistics – spending more on marketing a crap film than making a decent one. Remember Mike: It costs on average £550m to develop a new drug and average test times before that drug can be made available to the public are 10 years.

The credit crunch and an increased awareness of ethical shopping are to thank for a 7% jump in Oxfam’s sales, £80m across their 730 stores (that’s 100 more stores than WH Smith fact fans). Their 123 bookshops alone took over £19m last year and an extra £1million was raised selling secondhand M&S clothing after people donating them in received £5 M&S tokens. That made them the UK’s second biggest seller of second-hand books. Of course, it’s a little easier for Oxfam to shine against others on the high street: only 5% of Oxfam’s staff of almost 25,000 are paid. And while Oxfam pays the same rents as its High Street neighbours, as a charity it stumps up only one fifth of the business rate. Still, with and income “leveling off” expectations have been set for £100m in sales this year, so one thing Oxfam wont be selling is it’s brown trousers.

Are high-heels a health and safety risk? The union body the TUC (bloody unions) thinks so, and general secretary Brendan Barber has come forward and said, “Heels may look glamorous on the catwalks and on Hollywood stars, but they’re not appropriate for day-to-day work wear. These dress codes - apart from being blatantly sexist - can lead to long-term foot and back problems as women are forced to stand or walk around in high heels or ill-fitting footwear.”  The TUC’s report, Working Feet and Footwear, also looked at issues including firms providing slip-resistant shoes when needed (presumably for when you’ve put your foot in it). I have acted on this advice and in the interests of equality have asked all my staff, male and female, (child labor included) to start wearing high heels.