§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average price paid by the National Health Service for Valium as compared to the cheapest form of diaprazene purchased by his Department for the most convenient quantity and most recent period available to him.
§ Dr. VaughanAverage prices for the NHS as a whole could not be calculated without collecting details, which are not held centrally, of quantities supplied for hospital use at prices for bulk supply. Excluding hospital supplies and formulations for which no alternatives exist, current list prices for Valium and the cheapest alternative form of diazepam are as set out below.
£ Valium— 2 mg. tablets,1,000 (500 × 2) 8.84 5 mg. tablets,1,000 (500 × 2) 13.12 10 mg. tablets,500 9.70 Diazepam BP— 2 mg. tablets,1,000 4.20 5 mg. tablets,1,000 5.60 Sedapam— 10 mg. tablets,500 (100 × 5) 7.65