NICE to Back Move for Minimum Price for Alcohol

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has decided to back moves to fix a minimum price for alcohol in Britain. Nice believes that this will help tackle the drink problem in the country.

The move comes after it emerged that over 860,000 people a year are admitted to hospital because of alcohol issues, which reportedly cost a whopping Ģ27 billion a year.

Many health experts have urged the government to fix a minimum price per unit of alcohol in order to tackle Britain's binge drinking culture. British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of Physicians have also backed this move.

Last October a draft guidance published by Nice said there was "sufficient evidence ... to justify the introduction of a minimum price per unit." However drinks industry executives believe such a move would be harsh on responsible drinkers.


Source: Medindia