§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the change in the cost of generic drugs in the last year and its effect on the NHS. [104010]
§ Ms StuartDuring 1999 the Drug Tariff price of the top two hundred generic drugs dispensed in the community rose by over a third on average. On 21 December we announced additional in-year funding of £90 million to help the National Health Service manage the pressures from generic prices on health authority budgets.
The Government have put in place a fundamental review of the way generics are supplied to the NHS to see whether existing arrangements best serve the service and to identify possible alternatives. The conclusions of the programme of work are expected by the summer.