§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the numbers of new drugs licensed under the Medicines Act in each year since 1979 and the numbers of drugs whose licence was withdrawn in each year.
§ Mr. MellorThe figures for the years prior to 1982 are not available in a comparable form. The figures for the period 1982–88 are as follows:
Product licences granted Product licences for medicinal products containing a new active substance1 Licences withdrawn2 1982 934 49 1,003 1983 783 26 1,531 1984 641 9 1,513 1985 649 19 721 1986 738 36 920 1987 641 41 1,204 1988 557 47 1,268 1 Differences from year to year in the number of licences for products containing a new active substance must be treated with caution since (a) the year in which particular licences were granted may be dependent on a variety of factors and (b) the number of licences granted may depend on the number of dosage forms needed for the particular products. 2 The licences withdrawn column covers both product licences and product licences of right. The numbers include licences withdrawn because of revocation by the licensing authority and because of decisions by applicants to withdraw, not to renew or, in the case of product licence of right holders, not to pursue applications for full product licences.