Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour). It was answered on Wednesday, 23 June 2010.

NHS: Budget

Question: My Lords, recognising the relationship between transparency and the economic use of resources, will the Government consider amending the National Health Service pharmaceutical regulations to require manufacturers of prescribed products and appliances to indicate on the label of the packaging the tariff price of a generic product or the manufacturer’s list price of a branded product? Can he refer this whole matter to the transparency unit that his Government have set up?

Answer: My Lords, on an instinctive level, I completely understand the noble Lord’s concerns and I can tell him that the department has looked very carefully at this whole issue. The worry, based on research, is that labelling medicines with prices has a much more complex impact on patients’ attitudes towards their medicines than one might expect. A high or a low price on a medicine could lead to a patient doing the opposite of what one wants in terms of taking medication appropriately. Therefore, I am afraid that we have reached the conclusion that this is not something that should be pursued at the moment.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 719 c1313-4
Session: 2010-12
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Related items: NHS: Budget
Monday, 5 July 2010
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Cost effectiveness Labelling NHS Prescription drugs Prices Medical equipment Finance
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk