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
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017, subsequently corrected on 12 December 2017, to Question 109619, on Prescription Drugs: Prices, whether any pharmaceutical company has had its contract with the NHS terminated as a result of investigations undertaken by (a) his Department or (b) the Competition and Markets Authority; and if he will make a statement.
- Answer
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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
- 119394
- Session
- 2017-19
- Related items
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Contracts NHS Prescription drugs Prices
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2018-11-20 02:55:19 +0000
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- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2017-19/119394
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