§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, pursuant to the answer of 17 February, Official Report, c. 244, he has made any estimate of the cut in investment in research and development of drugs if generic substitutes become widely available.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeSince many pharmaceutical companies depend on their income to fund their present research programmes, it follows that any measure which reduced that income could have a consequential effect on investment in R and D. It is, however, extremely difficult to produce any reliable estimate of the effect on income of any general change to generic substitution. In any event, companies would react differently according to any change in their individual circumstances. I am therefore quite unable to give any worthwhile estimate of the effect on investment and research if generic substitution were to be adopted. The consultations on the Greenfield report which we are undertaking at the moment may, of course, produce some firmer evidence on the subject.