§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on(a) the over-the-counter price in Spain of 5m1 of the drug Otosporin, (b) the price charged to the National Health Service and (c) the price charged by pharmacists when the drug is obtained by private prescription.
§ Mr. MellorThe price reimbursed by the NHS when a community pharmacist or dispensing doctor supplies Otosporin is £4.09 for a 5m1 bottle, before any account is taken of discounts obtained by dispensers. Hospitals may buy at prices negotiated separately with the manufacturer. When the medicine is obtained by private prescription, the price is not controlled by the Department; it is set by the pharmacy.
We have no information on prices paid in Spain.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require all drug companies supplying drugs listed in the British National Formulary to inform his Department of the prices that they charge for those drugs in other European Community countries.
§ Mr. MellorThe European Commission has announced that it intends to compile a data bank containing the prices of medicines in each member state, and we shall study this with interest.