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Written question asked by Chris Ruane (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 December 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 December 2017 (named day). It was answered by Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2017 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Prescription Drugs: Prices

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any pharmaceutical companies have reduced their pricing schedules as a result his Department's scrutiny; and whether he will place the results in the Library of any investigations undertaken by his Department and the Competition and Markets Authority in the last 10 years.

Answer

The Department aims to ensure the continuity of supply of medicines while ensuring that the National Health Service obtains value for money from its spend on medicines.

The costs of branded medicine are controlled by the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and the statutory scheme for branded medicines. For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. In primary care community pharmacies are incentivised to source products at the lowest possible cost and in secondary care, competitive tenders ensure value-for-money to the NHS.

Where competition does not appear to be working, the Department alerts the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Where the CMA finds that a company has breached competition law by charging excessive prices it can impose a fine as well as order companies to reduce their prices. In those instances the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the NHS.

Investigations and infringements decisions by the CMA are publicly available on the CMA’s website.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
119272
Session
2017-19
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Prescription drugs Prices
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk