Cost of drugs

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 8

Cost of drugs

Sir,—Prescribed drugs now i cost New Zealand more than $57 million a year, according! to the Minister of Health. In' addition, many millions of: dollars are spent on non-! prescribed medicines. Pre-! suming that a high percent-! age of all these is consumed, is there a possible health hazard being created in the distribution of sewerage ; material onto our farm lands? Quite separately however, the tragedy of our drug bill is heightened by the stark p fact that much of it is un-i necessary', and in some events,.

manv are prescribed to “correct” conditions created by! other drugs consumed earlier.■ There seems some insincerity! in medical opposition to a; few puffs of tobacco smoke.! when drugs costing $2O a head, man, woman, child and baby, are pumped into our populace each year on the basis of a doctor’s signed i order.—Yours, etc., ANY BETTER USE? ' April 10, 1975.