§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate of the annual cost to the National Health Service of chemists and doctors prescribing proprietary brand drugs instead of their non-proprietary equivalents;
(2) what is the annual cost to the National Health Service of proprietary equivalents being prescribed instead of paracetamol.
§ Mr. CrossmanExact equivalence is rarely demonstrable, but I estimate that use of non-proprietary products instead of proprietaries with the same amounts of the same active ingredients would currently save about £1.4 million a year, including about £130,000 for paracetamol.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will circulate National Health Service chemists and doctors with a recommendation that they prescribe oxytetracycline, which costs 7s. 4d. per 250 milligram tablets, instead of terramycin which costs 22s. 4d.
§ Mr. CrossmanA number of circulars drawing attention to the difference in price have been sent to doctors, the most recent on 31st March.