HC Deb 09 May 2002 vol 385 cc345-6W
Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department has received from(a) Generics UK, (b) Kent Pharmaceuticals, (c) Regent-GM Laboratories, (d) Goldshield Group, (e) Norton Healthcare and (f) Ranbaxy UK regarding generic drugs in the past five years; [50705]

(2) what meetings his Department has had with (a) Generics UK, (b) Kent Pharmaceuticals, (c) Regent-GM Laboratories, (d) Goldshield Group, (e) Norton Healthcare and (f) Ranbaxy UK to discuss generic drugs in the past five years. [50706]

Mr. Hutton

As part of routine business the Department meets with pharmaceutical industry trade associations and individual pharmaceutical companies including Generics UK Ltd.. Kent Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Regent-GM Laboratories Ltd., Goldshield Group Plc, Norton Healthcare Ltd. (a subsidiary of Ivax Corporation) and Ranbaxy (UK) Ltd. (a subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.) on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues including those relating to licence applications; product safety issues; leaflets and labelling and intellectual property.

In April 2000 the Government introduced a maximum price scheme for controlling the price of specified generic medicines. This was rolled forward in October 2001 and has resulted in annual savings in expenditure of generic medicines in the order of £330 million. In addition, in July 2001 the Department issued a consultation paper on proposals for NHS controls over the future supply and pricing of NHS generic medicines. In compliance with best practice these initiatives required that information and opinions be sought from those companies and organisations affected by the Department's initiatives. Accordingly officials met with and received representations from many interested parties, including Generics UK, Kent Pharmaceuticals, Regent-GM Laboratories, Norton Healthcare/Ivax and Ranbaxy UK.