§ 31. Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the costs of beta interferon to the NHS relative to those borne in other countries. [156316]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Department has made no detailed assessment of the costs of beta interferon treatment in other countries. Direct comparisons of prices of products of this type can be misleading because they are often supplied direct to hospitals, making published list prices less significant. Furthermore some countries include distribution costs and some aspects of care within the list price while others account for them separately.