§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he proposes to take to control the rising cost of the drugs bill to National Health Service hospitals.
§ Mr. NewtonThe Department is taking a wide range of measures to control the drugs bill in National Health Service hospitals. In the last year each region has reviewed pharmaceutical buying and has drawn up an action plan to ensure maximum value for money, particularly in high-spend, high-volume medicines.
The Department has also encouraged the formulation of local multi-disciplinary drug and therapeutic committees to promote the rational and economic use of drug therapy. These are now commonplace within health authorities, and an effective means they are adopting to achieve their objective is the use of hospital drug formularies. Following the Nuffield report, the Department is also reviewing clinical pharmacy which could further assist in improving the cost-effectiveness of expenditure on drugs in hospitals.