§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the retail price of aspirin of changes in the maximum quantities available over the counter at pharmacies. [62295]
§ Ms JowellThe Department has made no assessment of the impact on the price of aspirin products, this is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading. The Director General of Fair Trading has investigated the pricing of a number of pack sizes of aspirin and paracetamol that were available over the counter before and after the introduction of the new pack sizes. He did not find any evidence of anti-competitive behaviour. The market in analgesics is very competitive and equivalent products are available at a wide variety of prices. The Director General will keep the market for analgesics under review and will investigate any anti-competitive behaviour.