Reckitt Benckiser allegedly had secret plans “Project Eric” that would enable it to maintain a monopoly on the supply of Gaviscon, the heartburn medicine. The aim was to prolong the period before competitors could produce a generic version of Gaviscon when the drugs patent ran out.

A former executive at Reckitt declared the company had cheated the NHS, adding that if a generic version of Gaviscon had been available, it could have saved the NHS over £40m per year. Whilst not illegal, these underhand tactics are at the expense of the taxpayer.