HC Deb 15 February 1983 vol 37 cc128-9W
67. Mr. Neil Thorne

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if quantitative tests on generic drugs have been undertaken in any regional health authority area; and what conclusions were drawn as to their quality.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

Health authority quality control laboratories routinely undertake tests on generic medicinal products to ensure that they comply with the standards set by the British Pharmacopeia for quality, purity, strength of medicament, and so on, prior to the placing of annual contracts. I am not aware of individual results.

The informal working group on effective prescribing—whose report was published on 4 February—made inquiries into the current arrangements for checking the quality and efficacy of generic drugs under the provisions of the Medicines Act and was satisfied that standards were sufficiently high.