Medicine Spending "Not To Be Viewed In Isolation"

UK Health Secretary Virginia Bottomley has been told that medicines are one of the most cost effective forms of health care treatment and it is important that the financial benefits they offer are fully understood.

The comments were made to Mrs Bottomley by Chris Tobin, head of Bayer's pharmaceutical business, during a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth, at which she made the keynote address.

"When medicine costs are considered alongside the cost of other aspects of total patient care," Mr Tobin said, "the benefits of increased medicine expenditure are evident. The cost of a year's therapy on any of the top 10 medicines is less than the cost of two days in hospital."