Scotland's chief medical officer has claimed a minimum price for alcohol would help save lives.

Dr Harry Burns told a summit of politicians, retailers and health professionals that he was once "agnostic" but now endorsed the plan supported by Scottish Ministers.

He said: "It's a no-brainer - one of the ways in which we can control the amount of alcohol being consumed is to tackle price. If we do that, people who in the course of the next year are going to die are going to be drawn back from the brink."

A minimum drink price was one of the main elements of SNP proposals announced earlier in 2009 to tackle an alcohol problem estimated to cost Scotland more than £2.2 billion a year.

A figure of 40p per unit has been widely speculated, making the minimum price of a 13% bottle of wine £3.90.

Dr Burns used shock tactics at the summit in Edinburgh in an attempt to hammer home health warnings about alcohol-related deaths.

Illustrating his speech with stark images of diseased organs, he intoned: "Am I scaring you? I hope so."

"Alcoholic liver disease is not a pleasant way to go, whether for the patient or the staff looking after you," he added.

Guest speaker Dr Peter Anderson, a consultant to the World Health Organisation, claimed it would be courageous for government to set minimum pricing for alcoholic beverages.

"If you are really serious in wanting to reduce the burden of alcohol to individuals, to families and to communities - including reducing the collateral damage to from alcohol - you have to deal with the price of alcohol," he said.

"You cannot be effective unless you do something about the price of alcohol. But of course, that is not the only solution. It has to be part of a comprehensive solution that deals with the availability and marketing of alcohol."

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who opened the summit, said: "Dealing with the problem of alcohol misuse is perhaps the biggest public health challenge we face. I believe the time has come for action.

"The eyes of the world are on us - we are seen as a world leader and I believe we have an obligation to live up to that."

However, the idea of government price controls was rejected by retailers.

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, said: "Those who claim minimum pricing is the solution to Scotland's problem with drink should consider why alcohol misuse remains an issue in Ireland and Scandinavian countries where alcohol is highly taxed and very expensive.

"Minimum pricing is not a panacea for solving deep-seated cultural problems."