§ Mrs. McElhoneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the practice of parallel importing, with particular reference to the pharmaceutical industry.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe position in the pharmaceutical industry is that generally section 7(3) of the Medicines Act 1968 prohibits the importation of medicinal products for use in the United Kingdom except in accordance with a product licence granted under the Act. Before such a licence is granted the licensing authority has to be satisfied of the safety, quality and efficacy of the product. The European Commission has issued guidance, following rulings by the European Court of Justice, on how member states should deal with applications for the parallel importation of proprietary medicinal products and the Department, after further consultation with the Commission, is preparing proposals for reconciling current United Kingdom regulatory practice with the EC guidance.