§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the cost of beta interferon in other countries. [4564]
§ Ms BlearsI apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
The Department has made no detailed assessment of the costs of beta-interferon treatment in other countries. Direct comparisons of prices of products of this type can be misleading because they are often supplied direct to hospitals at a discount, making published list prices less significant. Furthermore some countries include distribution costs and some aspects of care within the list price while others account for them separately.