§ 3.18 p.m.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Committee on Safety of Drugs 463 has not taken appropriate action since the makers of Normenon and Verton recently announced that they have ceased manufacture of these oral contraceptives.]
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, the Committee on Safety of Drugs has acted appropriately at all times during the developments arising from the decision of the Food and Drug Administration to suspend clinical trials with Normenon. The Committee immediately asked for detailed evidence from the Food and Drug Administration, which it has since been actively considering, and has been in constant touch with the manufacturers. Research is continuing into the effect of chlormadinone acetate. The Committee will advise the professions and Her Majesty's Government accordingly.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that last Thursday I asked whether she would ask the Government to ban these oral contraceptives, and that 48 hours later I had a letter from the manufacturers, as did many other doctors, saying that they were no longer going to manufacture these drugs? Is she therefore prepared to say that the Committee on Safety of Drugs should continue examining this matter without announcing to the women of the country why these drugs are no longer safe? Is my noble friend further aware that we were told a month ago that 21 drugs were not safe, but that these particular drugs were safe? Should not the poor, confused women be told why these contradictory statements are made?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, the question that my noble friend asked me last week was whether the Government would suspend the sale of all oral contraceptives, and I replied that the Government saw no justification for doing so. The two drug manufacturers concerned withdrew, or rather suspended, their sale for the moment. I think it is entirely natural that they should have done so, since one of the parent companies in the United States had withdrawn temporarily their own supplies. I am afraid that I have forgotten the second part of my noble friend's question.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, may I remind my noble friend of what I asked? Does she recall that it was only last month when the women of this country were told that 21 drugs, oral contraceptives, with oestrogen in them, were unsafe but that those free from oestrogen were safe. These two were included specifically then, but have now proved to be unsafe, and the manufacturers are no longer manufacturing them. Should not the Committee on Safety of Drugs give another statement to the women and try to clarify this extraordinary position?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lord, the firms concerned wrote letters to all doctors, and of course were in touch with the Committee. It is, I would remind the noble Baroness, a suspension and not a total withdrawal— which I think is important. With regard to the Committee on Safety of Drugs, I find it a little distressing that the noble Baroness should consider that American scientists are better than our own extremely distinguished ones. When there are wonder cures announced abroad, our own medical profession do not uncritically accept them, and I am sure the House will think that it would be quite wrong if they did. Equally, when research takes place, in any place in the world, our own highly distinguished Committee asks for expert evidence from our research bodies to confirm, or not to confirm, such findings. I should also like to stress that there is continuous research going on, day in and day out, on such matters.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that the Food and Drug Administration in the United States are regarded of such importance in the world that immediately they withdrew these drugs from the market. France followed, New Zealand followed, Scandinavia followed; and we had people like Professor Wynne, our expert, now over in the United States, putting the case denouncing all these oral contraceptives because he attaches such importance to the American view.
§ BARONESS GAITSKELLMy Lords, may I ask the Minister whether it is not the case that the evidence against these two pills has not yet been published? I heard that from the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Seeing that it 465 has not been published, I cannot see how the Committee can consider it seriously.
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, I am very grateful for that clarification by my noble friend. Naturally the Committee, as I stated, instantly sent for detailed information from the F.P.A. They are engaged on investigating it. At the moment, it is not confirmed or denied. The fact that the drug manufacturers themselves took action, understandably, as I say again, because their parent companies in the States had suspended it temporarily, is something for the drug manufacturers. But we must rely on our own expert evidence and research.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONMy Lords, is it not the case that every single one of these drugs can be obtained only on a medical prescription?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, yes: this is certainly true in this country I should like to congratulate my noble friend on being, so far as I know, the only male Member of your Lordships' House to intervene on this particular Question.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, may I ask my final question on that point? Is my noble friend aware that the last inquest reported (I think last week, on a girl of 18) revealed that the doctor had signed the prescription for oral contraceptives which had been made out by the receptionist, but that he had never seen the girl?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, I am rather sorry that my noble friend seeks to criticise her own profession in that particular way. There are, of course, always exceptions to all good professions, but that ought not to affect our general investigations and, indeed, rulings.