Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 February 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 March 2001. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 March 2001 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the unit cost of an injection of (a) MMR and (b) each of its constituent vaccines if given separately. - Inc figures.

Answer: Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the unit cost of an injection of (a) MMR and (b) each of its constituent vaccines if given separately. [150096] Yvette Cooper: The United Kingdom is supplied by two manufacturers of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and by one supplier of rubella vaccine. The cost to the Department of purchasing MMR and rubella vaccines is commercially confidential. However, the price of a single dose of MMR vaccine as listed in the British National Formulary is £6.23 for that manufactured by SmithKline Beecham and £10.17 for that manufactured by Aventis Pasteur. The list price for rubella vaccine, manufactured by SmithKline Beecham, is £2.53 per vial. Children are recommended to receive two doses of MMR vaccine. Rubella vaccine is recommended for non- immune women. No licensed single component mumps or measles vaccines are manufactured for or marketed in the UK.

Secondary information