§ 33. Mr. Bryan Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she is satisfied with the quantity and quality of the information supplied to general practitioners in the National Health Service on new drugs and medicines.
§ Dr. OwenNo, I am concerned that in the case of new medicines practitioners must often rely on promotional material from pharmaceutical companies as their chief source of information. Although174W such material is sometimes of high quality, it can be misleading and may stress slight or irrelevant advantages of the product while minimising possible side-effects or other disadvantages.
As I indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton) on 5th March, I have received the advice of the Medicines Commission on the best methods of supplying doctors with information about medicines and of improving the quality of advertisements. I am seeking the views of the trade associations and various professional bodies on these matters. I am also negotiating with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry with a view to agreeing substantial reductions in expenditure on sales promotion.—[Vol. 887, c. 421.]