Written question asked by Lindsay Hoyle (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 June 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 1998. It was answered by Alan Milburn (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 1998 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of NHS money is spent on parallel trading in drugs. - Includes figures.

Answer: Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS money is spent on parallel trading in drugs. [47809] Mr. Milburn: Full information on expenditure on parallel traded medicines by the National Health Service is not available. However, within the Family Health Services sector in England and Wales, the Pharmacists' Discount Inquiry estimates that, in 1997-98, 4.63 per cent. of the net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacies was in relation to parallel imported products. Over each of the six years 1992-1997 the corresponding figures were between 4.09 per cent. and 4.80 per cent. For 1997-98, this equates with a figure of some £197 million expenditure on such products, providing an estimated saving to the NHS of around £19 million.

Secondary information