19. Dr. Broughtasked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation to make it compulsory for pharmaceutical firms to state the price of their products when advertising drugs and medicines to medical practitioners.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodWhile I agree that it is most desirable that doctors in the National Health Service should know these prices, I am not yet clear that the imposing of a requirement to state them in advertisements is a suitable subject for legislation, but I should like to think further about the matter.
§ Dr. BroughtonIs the Minister aware that the medical profession is being inundated with literature from drug manufacturers advertising proprietary preparations, and that colourful, enticing advertisements, such as these which I have in my hand, tell the doctor all about the preparations except the price? Doctors are being persuaded to prescribe drugs without knowing the cost that will fall upon the National Health Service.
§ Mr. MacleodAs I think I indicated, I am not in the least unsympathetic to the idea behind the Question, but I was asked about legislation. As my answer shows, we have been looking into that, but there are certain technical difficulties in the matter.
§ 20. Dr. Broughtonasked the Minister of Health what restrictions are placed by his regulations upon medical practitioners in the matter of prescribing drugs and medicines for their patients.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodNone; but if the cost of a doctor's prescribing is found to be more than was reasonably necessary an appropriate sum of money may be withheld from his remuneration.
§ Dr. BroughtonCan the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he will instruct executive committees to compare the average cost of each doctor's prescriptions with the average cost over the country as a whole, and that this matter will be watched at least as carefully as it was under the National Health Insurance Scheme?
§ Mr. MacleodI was this morning looking at my pricing investigation unit in the Ministry of Health, but the hon. Member, who is himself a doctor, knows that the great difficulty is that pricing itself is 10 months in arrears. We are trying to get on as fast as we can with the idea that the hon. Member has in mind.
§ 31. Mr. Marquandasked the Minister of Health whether to avoid unnecessary 387 expenditure, he will advise medical practitioners in the National Health Service, when prescribing proprietary drugs or medicines, to add the letters N.F.E., so that the pharmacist can supply the equivalent according to the National Formulary.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodNo, Sir. I think that responsibility for specifying the exact substance to be supplied should rest with the prescriber.
§ Mr. MarquandHas the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been drawn to the last Report of the General Medical Services Committee in which they say that this suggestion—which, of course, is not my own—was turned down because there were seriously legal objections to carrying it out? Apparently, the Committee thought it a desirable suggestion which would lead to economy. If there are legal obstacles could not the right hon. Gentleman remove them by legislation?
§ Mr. MacleodThe proposal has come up many times and I have no doubt that it came up when the right hon. Gentleman was the Minister, but the proposal has not come from the B.M.A. or the chemists themselves and the chemists feel it is putting a responsibility on their shoulders which should not properly be theirs. I understand that there are legal difficulties. I do not know the precise details, but I understand that the law of copyright enters into the question of substituting one preparation for another.
§ Mr. ManuelCan the right hon. Gentleman say why the Government, who are so keen on monetary deterrents so far as patients are concerned, are not prepared to take this step, so that medical practitioners shall prescribe goods which are cheaper but equally good for patients?
§ Mr. MacleodAs I have explained, in my view and in the view of the two professions most intimately concerned, it is a burden which should not properly be placed on the shoulders of the pharmacists.
Mr. Frederick Elwyn JonesWill the right hon. Gentleman consult the Attorney-General about this matter, because I do not understand the legal implications and his reference to copyright?
§ Mr. MacleodAs I understand, the legal implications are the substituting of a preparation for a previously named preparation.
§ Mr. Sydney SilvermanCould not the problem be solved if the doctors themselves, instead of prescribing the proprietary article either with or without these additional letters, prescribed instead the National Formulary equivalent without the patent medicine?
§ Mr. MacleodThere is a very great deal in that, and I should be delighted to pursue any avenue which will lead to that sort of economy.
§ Mr. BevanWould it not be undesirable that there should be confusion between the general practitioner and the pharmacist as to who, in fact, should prescribe the National Formulary? That might result in greater expenditure than now.
§ Mr. MacleodYes, Sir.