Medicines (Hansard, 19 July 2002)

§ John Barrett
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what records her Department keeps of the(a) quantity and (b) type of medicines donated by UK drugs companies to developing countries. [70499]

§ Clare Short
The Government does not keep records of the quantity or type of medicines donated by UK drugs companies to developing countries.

§ John Barrett
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps she is taking to prevent the donation of expired and nearly expired medicines to developing countries; [70496]
(2) what guidelines exist to ensure that medicines donated by UK drugs companies to developing countries are suitable for the needs of the recipient country; [70507]
(3) what steps she is taking to ensure medicines donated to developing countries are (a) properly labelled and (b) written in the language of the recipient country. [70497]

§ Clare Short
My Department worked closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to produce their "Guidelines for Drug Donations".
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The WHO guidelines clearly set out inter alia that drug donations should: constitute a sustainable contribution to government health strategies in developing countries; be based on need and relevant to the disease pattern of recipient countries; have at least 1 year remaining shelf life; be of a quality which complies with the standards of donor and recipient countries; be properly labelled and written in the language of the recipient country; and only provided after consultation and at the request of the recipient.

§ John Barrett
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact the donation of free medicines from drug companies has had on local drugs markets in developing countries. [70498]

§ Clare Short
The Government worked closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to produce their guidelines on drug donations. These guidelines clearly set out that drug donations should only be provided after consultation and at the request of the recipient.
WHO is responsible for monitoring the impact of drug donations on developing countries. In discussions with them, we have received no evidence that UK donations have undermined local drug markets.