Diet pills might come off list

Press, 17 September 1976, Page 10

Diet pills might come off list

PA Wellington The Government is considering removing from the list of drugs available free to patients, anoretic drugs, which are used to aid dieting. The Minister of Health, (Mr Gill), said many doctors would consider that most of their patients would diet more conscientiously if they paid for their anoretics.

He said removing the anoretic drugs from the drug tariff would help to reduce Government spending.

He said that drug companies marketing the more expensive antihistamine drugs, which were used in the treatment of allergies, had been approached to see if their prices could be reduced.

If this was not possible, the Government considered that the patient should pay part of the charge for these medicines.

“There are of course other antihistamines which will remain free of charge to the patient.” Mr Gill said that the review of various groups of medicines available free of charge to patients was part of a continuing process which had begun since the 1950’5.

“The drug tariff is being constantly reviewed by the Government on the advice of the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee, to ensure that medicines available on the tariff, are safe, efficacious and of a reasonable cost to the taxpayer,” he said.