HC Deb 27 January 1958 vol 581 c23W
106. Mr. Hastings

asked the Minister of Health what procedures are adopted by his Department to persuade general practitioners to prescribe substitutes of proprietary preparations for their National Health Service patients.

Mr. R. Thompson

Letters and other communications are sent at intervals to all general practitioners and visits are made as necessary, inviting them to prescribe with due regard both to the therapeutic merit and to the cost of the chosen preparation. Information in various forms is provided to assist them in this matter.

107. Mr. Hastings

asked the Minister of Health what steps are taken by his Department to make certain that preparations which doctors are recommended to prescribe instead of proprietary articles do in fact contain drugs of good quality in the right proportion.

Mr. R. Thompson

The British Pharmacopoeia, the British Pharmaceutical Codex and the British National Formulary lay down standards with which all the standard drugs and preparations referred to by the hon. Member are expected to comply.

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