§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make available information on how the calculations were made which underlie his conclusion that £75 million can be saved during the financial year 1985–86 by introducing the limited list of drugs from 1 April.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIt is not possible to make the details of these calculations available because information about the prescribing volume and cost of individual drugs is of commercial value and it is not the practice to divulge it. £75 million is the best estimate by our officials of the savings that will be made in the hospital and family practitioner services in the United Kingdom. This figure will rise significantly in the near future as generic alternatives become available for some of the branded products on our selected list.