§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a list of analgesics giving the price paid over the counter for a normal supply when that price is less than the £1 charge if prescribed through the National Health Service.
§ Sir George YoungThe decision about the period of treatment for which a prescribed medicine is supplied is one for the prescribing doctor. It is not possible, therefore, to determine what a normal supply of a particular drug, or group of drugs; would be; and whether the over-the-counter purchase price would be less than the statutory prescription charge would depend on the quantity prescribed. However, the Department has recently issued to doctors in the National Health Service, as one of its series of charts illustrating the comparative costs of different versions of the same or similar drugs, a chart on "Simple Oral Analgesics" showing the comparative costs to the NHS of a selection of preparations for seven days' supply using normal adult dosage. I have arranged for a copy of this chart to be placed in the Library of the House.