§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the £100 million estimated savings from his original limited drugs list was expected to result from generic substitution.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThere is no, and never was any, element of generic substitution in the limited list proposals we announced on 8 November 1984.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the £100 million estimated savings from his original limited drugs list was expected to come from the £120 million presently spent on propriety brands dispensed to a prescription category; and what will come from the £40 million presently spent on the sedative category.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI refer the hon. Member to my reply on 5 December 1984 to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris) at columns219–20.
§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the members of the panel he has appointed to assist the Chief Medical Officer in advising on the drugs that should be included in his proposed limited list for prescription under the National Health Service.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeOur chief medical officer has invited a number of eminent individuals from relevant branches of the medical and pharmaceutical professions to advise him on the content of the limited list. They are Professor Alasdair Breckenridge, professor of clinical pharmacology; Professor David Morrell, professor of60W general practice; Dr. John Tomlinson, general practitioner; Dr. Duncan Colin Jones, consultant physician; Professor Eric Stroud, professor of child health; Professor Malcolm Hodkinson, professor of geriatric medicine; Mr. David Coleman, retail pharmacist.
The chief medical officer has invited Professor Malcolm Lader to advise on the psychiatric implications of the list. He may also wish to involve other specialists on particular points.
§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration has been given to enabling patients, preferring branded drugs which may no longer be available on prescription, from having that part of the cost of the generic substitute allowed against the cost of the branded product.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDoctors will be able to prescribe at National Health Service expense from a limited but adequate range of drugs in those categories covered by our limited list proposals. If a patient elects to have a private prescription instead, that will be a matter of choice not of medical necessity. There is no question of our subsidising this choice.
§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations have been made by organisations representing the elderly on the proposals to limit drugs available to National Health Service patients on prescription.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have received representations from a wide range of individuals and organisations, including some which cite the needs of the elderly. We are carefully considering all these views.