§ Mr. Arbuthnotasked the Minister of Health if he will make a further statement about the purchase of drugs by hospitals from unlicensed sources.
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§ Mr. PowellYes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I propose to use Section 46 of the Patents Act, 1949, which enables a Government Department to use patented goods for the services of the Crown, in obtaining certain drugs for the hospital service either from manufacturers in this country or from abroad. The Act requires that payments to patentees be negotiated, or determined by the High Court in default of agreement. Individual hospital authorities are being instructed to make no further purchases of patented drugs from unlicensed sources.