§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether it is his policy that all medicines within the meaning of the Medicines Act 1968 should be treated differently from other goods in order to prevent impulse buying;
(2) whether he still adheres to the view that all medicines within the meaning of the Medicines Act 1968 should be treated differently from other goods in order to prevent impulsive buying.
651W
§ Mr. Moyle,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th January 1977; Vol. 923, c. 455], circulated the following reply:
In general medicines are different from other products and they should be treated with due care. In accordance with this view, the Medicines Act envisages a number of safeguards in relation to the retail sale of medicines, in particular that they should normally be sold in registered pharmacies, in some cases only on prescription, but it also envisages that specified medicines may with reasonable safety be sold in other shops. The provisions of the Act are being progessively implemented.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from community health councils in England and Wales in support of a ban on self-service or self-selection of analgesics; what proportion of community health councils this represents; and if he will list the number of consumer and other organisations who have indicated to him their support for such a ban.
§ Mr. Moyle,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11 th January 1977; Vol.
1970 1971 1972 1973 Main Diagnosis: Adverse effects of all analgesics and anti-pyretics 19,650 19,880 21,610 22,670 Adverse effects of salicylates and congeners only (included in in above figures) 14,440 14,570 15,280 15,180
The numbers of recorded deaths from adverse effects of analgesics and antipyretics are as follows: 1970 1977 1972 1973 1974 1975 267 307 306 345 412 497 I regret that the number of recorded deaths from the adverse effects of salicylates
652W923, c. 455] circulated the following reply:
I have received representation supporting a ban on the sale of analgesics by self-service or self-selection techniques from 52 of the 330 community health councils in England and Wales and from seven national consumer organisations, three other national organisations, 27 local branches of the Pharmaceutical Society and 24 other local organisations. I have also reecived many representations opposing such a ban.