The pharmaceutical industry had a legitimate interest in seeing that their own branded drugs were prescribed.

On 9 November 1984 I set out for consultation a list of branded drugs which would no longer be prescribed under the health service.

But she said the partnership "is not unlike other agreements common in the industry that provide 'preferred status' for branded drugs."

Retailers prefer the higher profit margins of branded drugs.

"Generic drugs are priced 30 percent, at least, below branded drugs and the potential savings to consumers would be something like $1 billion a year."

The combined company is expected to have US$7 billion in sales of branded drugs.

In both cases, the companies have ensured that supplies of branded drugs are adequate while allowing generic versions to go wanting.

Some prescription medications, most notably popular and branded drugs, can have very high prices in comparison to their cost of transport.

In addition, Chinese companies can produce generic versions of branded drugs for a fraction of their price.

Town and the others bring in branded drugs which are already legally on sale in Britain.