§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total cost to the NHS in each of the last three years of co-proxamol prescriptions; and what would the proportionate saving if co-proxamol was replaced by paracetamol alone prescriptions. [56544]
§ Ms JowellThe net ingredient cost of co-proxamol prescription items dispensed in the community in England 1995 to 1997 is given in the table.
Co-proxamol prescription items dispensed in the community England Year Net ingredient cost £million 1995 14.4 1996 13.8 1997 14.1 Notes:
- 1. The data are from the prescription cost analysis system and cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England.
- 2. The net ingredient cost refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees. It does not include any adjustment for income obtained where a prescription charge is paid at the time the prescription is dispensed or where the patient has purchased a pre-payment certificate.
- 3. Information about prescriptions dispensed in hospitals is not available centrally.
It is estimated that about £9 million would have been saved in each of the last 3 years if all co-proxamol items had been replaced by appropriate paracetamol items. These estimates are based on the average price per tablet/milli-litre over each year. They make no allowance for the differences in the size of tablets of the two products ie. the estimates assume that a 500 milligramme paracetamol tablet replaces a 325 milligramme co-proxamol tablet.