---

Department of Health

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point. I was just coming to that. The issue is not simply a question of different additives that might be used in different countries, but the possibility that such trade might be a soft underbelly for the counterfeit trade. There have been examples of counterfeits, such as those for Viagra, Cialis and Reductil, entering the legitimate supply chain, as the hon. Gentleman said. That is a significant cause of concern, and action to counteract it is outside the strict regulation of the industry. The extent to which the Government truly appreciate the scale of this problem is also an issue. Recent answers to questions asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam reveal that the Government have made no estimates of the level of counterfeit medicines circulating in the legitimate supply chain and available on the internet. If they have made no estimate of the scale of the problem, how can they deal with it properly? Further problems include the possible misprescribing of medication due to lack of training. Not all the problems lie at the foot of the pharmaceutical industry, but we have heard plenty of evidence this afternoon that more effective regulation of the industry will help to establish a clear balance—