§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the current prices being paid by the National Health Service for librium, tropium Valium, atensine, mogadon, serenid nobrium, ativan and tranxene; what advice his Department gives in the safe use of these benzodiazepines; and if he will make a statement.
488W
§ Mr. AlisonThe prices paid by the National Health Service for prescription dispensed through the pharmaceutical service are derived from the wholesale prices of the medicine. The following are the wholesale prices of 100 tablets except where otherwise indicated:
£ Librium 5 mg 0.32 10 mg 0.40 25 mg 0.80 Tropium 5 mg 0.60 10 mg 0.75 25 mg 1.60 Valium 2 mg 0.21 5 mg 0.30 10 mg 0.45 Atensine 2 mg (250 tablets) 1.02 5 mg (250 tablets) 1.54 Mogadon 5 mg 1.10 Serenid-D 10 mg 0.78 15 mg 0.95 Nobrium 5 mg (100 capsules) 1.03 10 mg (l00 capsules) 1.64 Ativan 1 mg (105 tablets) 1.45 25 mg (105 tablets) 2.25 Tranxene 15 mg 3.50 Hospital authorities obtain supplies at other prices under various contracts. My Department does not normally give official advice to doctors as to the prescribing of particular products. A series of articles by different authors on the benzodiazepines has, however, been published in the Presenters' Journal. The latest complete article appeared in the issue of December 1972.
The Committee on Safety of Medicines have received some adverse reports about these products. Such information is kept under review and communicated to doctors generally as necessary. Particular information would be passed on to any doctor who asked for it.