asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated annual expenditure by the pharmaceutical industry on (a) drug promotion and (b) research.

The information we hold is derived from annual financial returns submitted for the purposes of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme by the 65 largest companies supplying medicines for use in the National Health Service. In 1984, the relevant expenditure by those companies was £146 million on promotion and £282 million on research and development.