§ Mr. Lubbockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will review the regulations governing the distribution by medical representatives of samples of drugs coming under Schedules S.1 and S.4a, in view of the danger of large quantities of sample drugs being diverted into illicit channels.
§ Mr. BrookeThe Poisons Rules require that a record shall be kept of the supply to a doctor of a commercial sample of a substance included in Schedule 1 to the Rules. The Code of Marketing Practice for Medical Specialities of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry further requires that samples of products which are restricted by law to supply on prescription, as are all substances listed in Schedule 4a to the Rules, must not be sent to doctors except in response to their instructions. I am not aware of any danger of such samples of drugs being diverted into illicit channels, but if the hon. Member has any evidence of such a danger I shall be glad to consider it.
§ Mr. Lubbockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of purple heart tablets and similar drugs coming under Schedules S.1 and S.4a which are recorded as having been handed to doctors by medical representatives as free samples in the most recent convenient month.
§ Mr. BrookeThis information could be obtained only by asking all suppliers to furnish extracts from their records for a particular month. I do not think that the work involved would be justified. I am informed by the manufacturers of Drinamyl ("purple heart") tablets that they withdrew all supplies of this drug from their representatives in April, 1963.