To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the health implications of variations in costs of the new aspirin and paracetamol pack sizes; and if he will make a statement. [67034]

The Department has made no specific assessment of the health implications of the variations in costs of the new analgesic pack sizes. However, variations in the prices of aspirin and paracetamol have always been a feature of this very competitive market and equivalent products continue to be available at a range of prices.The Medicines Control Agency is monitoring the impact of the new pack sizes on public health and will review the effectiveness of the measures once sufficient data have been collected. They are currently consulting on a proposal to exempt low dose aspirin 75 milligramme from the new pack size restrictions.