§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date the drug Eraldin ceased to be available on prescription; and how many patients have been reported to his Department as being damaged by the side effects of this drug since that date.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set up an inquiry to determine the total number of deaths and the total number of persons suffering from the side effects caused by use of the drug Eraldin.
§ Dr. OwenSince October 1975 the manufacturers have restricted the supply of Eraldin to hospitals and recommended that it only be used on a short-term basis in certain life saving conditions. There have been a number of reports received since then reporting deaths and side effects, nearly all referring to treatment prior to the hazards being identified and most of them referring to events occur-386W ring before then. I regret that it is not, however, practicable to produce a precise figure for the number of patients who have suffered side effects since then because some reports overlap and some patients may suffer from several of these ill effects. The Committee on Safety of Medicines' comparative index of adverse reactions currently shows 60–70 cases of sclerosing peritonitis and nearly 500 cases of eye reactions and the same number of skin reactions. I have asked the Committee on Safety of Medicines to look into a number of specific issues related to the restricted use of Eraldin.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what help and advice he will give to those people who suffer from side effect illnesses caused by the use of the drug Eraldin.
§ Dr. OwenHelp and advice is available from the National Health Service and the personal social services to all who suffer from illness or disability whatever its cause. Usually the patients' general practitioner will be best placed to advise on any adverse reactions to Eraldin in the past.