HC Deb 21 December 1988 vol 144 cc319-20W
Mr. Blair

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) from which pharmaceutical companies the National Health Service purchased (i) animal insulin, and (ii) human insulin; and what was the cost of transaction with each company for each financial year since 1983–84;

(2) what was the cost to the National Health Service of purchasing (i) animal insulin and (ii) human insulin for each of the financial years since 1983–84.

Mr. Mellor

The information requested is set out in the table for the calendar years 1983 and 1987. Information for the intervening years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Net Ingredient Cost of prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacy in England (£000)
1983 1987
Animal Human Animal Human
Boots 125 92
CP Pharmaceuticals 407 3,505
Eli Lilly 197 2,791
Novo 8,925 269 5,984 4,093
Wellcome/Nordisk 5,595 3,481 3,601
Evans/generics 3,778 828
Total 18,831 465 13,889 10,485

Notes:

  1. 1. Figures are estimates based on a sample of approximately 1 in 200 prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacy contractors within the Family Practitioner Service. The figures do not include details of insulin dispensed by the hospital service or of prescriptions dispensed by Dispensing Doctors.
  2. 2. The figure for generics relate to prescriptions written by their generic name.

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