PART 6Information about price and availability of health service medicines
Provision of information about availability of health service medicines28
1
This regulation applies where the Secretary of State considers that there is a supply shortage of a presentation of health service medicine (the “relevant presentation”).
2
Where this regulation applies, the Secretary of State may by notice in writing require any of the following to provide the information mentioned in paragraph (3) about the relevant presentation—
a
a manufacturer of the presentation,
b
a person who distributes the presentation (whether by wholesale dealing or otherwise), or
c
an importer of the presentation.
3
The information is—
a
the quantity (if any) of packs of the relevant presentation that is available for supply by the producer, and
b
the quantity (if any) of any alternative presentation specified in the request that is available for supply by the producer.
4
A producer who is given a notice under paragraph (2) must comply with the request within the period of two working days beginning—
a
with the day on which producer is given the request, if that day is a working day;
b
otherwise, with the first working day after the day on which the notice is given to the producer.
5
In this regulation, “alternative presentation”, in relation to a relevant presentation, means a presentation of health service medicine which is used as a therapeutic alternative to the relevant presentation.