I Call Retailers to Account on Emergency Contraceptive Prices – 15 Sept 2017 

Recently I wrote to Boots plc with Labour MP colleagues about the extortionate cost of emergency contraception at their pharmacies. Boots were charging significantly more than other pharmacies such as Tesco and Superdrug. So I was pleased when they wrote to me to say they had made a decision to slightly reduce the price. I wasn’t so pleased that their lawyers had sent a threatening letter to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service about a legitimate and properly successful campaign. 

I have also signed a parliamentary motion drawing attention to the gap between production and retail pricing of emergency contraceptives in the UK. Prices for contraception can be 5 times more than in other EU countries. This suggests that the cost of production and distribution are not the main drivers behind the price differentials in the UK and that maximising profit is.