§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East, Official Report, 24 February, c. 523–24, concerning drug prices, what the savings would be increased by if, respectively, amitriptyline 25 mg 500 were bought at the current cheapest price of £2.00, diazepam 5 mg 1,000 at £1.20, methyldopa 250 mg 1,000 at £14.50, nitrazepam 5 mg 500 at £1.45, indomethacin 25 mg at £4.00, frusemide 40 mg 500 at £2.10, ampicillin 250 mg 250 at £4.90, imipramine 25 mg 500 at £1.50 and propranolol 40 mg 1,000 at £5.00; and what the total comparable savings would be for Wales and Scotland, respectively.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe potential savings derived from comparing(a) the December 1982 prices for the branded medicines with (b) the prices quoted, from an unknown source, for the particular presentations of the generic versions would be: England £30 million; Wales £2.4 million; Scotland £3.5 million; but all these savings presuppose the medical profession prescribing generic drugs in all cases.