§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he has made any assessment of the effect of the state of the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry on present and future supplying of the National Health Service;
(2) if he will make a statement on the present condition of and prospects for the pharmaceutical industry.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI have been asked to reply.
The United Kingdom-based pharmaceutical industry, for which the Department has sponsorship responsibility within government, supplies by far the greater part of medicines used in the National Health Service and will continue to do so within the foreseeable future. It maintains an impressive record of innovation and productivity, and its exports make a significant contribution to the balance of payments. Manufacturers prices for National Health Service medicines are already subject to the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme.