Drugs

HC Deb 24 June 1963 vol 679 cc925-6

16. Mr. K. Robinson

asked the Minister of Health what response he has had from general practitioners to his last request that they should not prescribe proprietary drugs where British Pharmacopoeia or National Formulary equivalents are available; and what annual savings he estimates will accrue.

Mr. Powell

It is too soon to judge the effect of my Chief Medical Officer's recent letter about the comparative prices of certain proprietary drugs and their standard equivalents.

Mr. Robinson

Would not the Minister agree that there are millions of £s to be saved here if only doctors can be persuaded to prescribe the equivalents? If the right hon. Gentleman's present approach is not successful, will he consider taking further steps to persuade doctors to do this?

Mr. Powell

In the case of exact equivalents to which this advice related, I am advised that the maximum saving is about £1 million. But where the equivalents are not exact there may be further sums involved. This is something to which continuous attention is given by my Department, and the latest letter from my chief medical officer is evidence of that.

Mr. Pavitt

Will the right hon. Gentleman examine the effect of the change that has been made in converting Prescription Notes to the Prescribes' Journal, arising from the Hinchliffe Report. What assessment of its effects is being made? What results have been obtained? What kind of examination is the right hon. Gentleman making of this journal?

Mr. Powell

I have good evidence that the Prescribers' Journal is widely used by doctors, and this leads me to assume that they may be finding it helpful and are to some extent being guided by it in their actions. But, in the nature of things, it is impossible to relate precisely prescribing costs to any particular measure which is adopted to guide practitioners.

Mr. Rankin

While encouraging doctors to prescribe B.P. and N.F. drugs, should not it be made widely known to the general public that these drugs are as good as any others?

Mr. Powell

Yes, Sir, though the initiative rests with the doctor, because we are dealing with prescriptions.