HC Deb 09 July 1997 vol 297 c505W
Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average cost to public funds of a course of drugs administered in hospital. [7272]

Mr. Milburn

Although it is possible to be specific for costs of some courses of drugs in hospital, the wide range of different drug treatments make it impossible to specify an average cost. However, the total cost of all drugs purchased by hospitals was £874,353 million in 1995–96, the latest year for which the data are available.