HC Deb 13 February 1981 vol 998 cc436-7W
Mr. Eldon Griffiths

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in which EEC countries the contraceptive Depo Provera is available; for how long it has been available; and under what, if any, restrictions;

(2) in which countries of the Commonwealth the contraceptive Depo Provera is available; for how long it has been available; and under what, if any, restrictions;

(3) if he will ensure that the recent conclusions by the international medical advisory panel of the International Planned Parenthood Federation concerning the long-term use of Depo Provera will be taken into account by the Committee on Safety of Medicines in any further considerations of the product;

(4) what is the latest information his Department has on the efficacy or otherwise of Depo Provera as a contraceptive.

Dr. Vaughan

Detailed information about the licensing of particular drugs in other countries is not held by the Department. However, I understand from the company concerned that Depo Provera is available as a contraceptive in the EEC and Commonwealth countries listed below. It would be disproportionately costly to ascertain the duration and conditions of the availability of Depo Provera in each of these countries.

EEC countries

  • Belgium,
  • Denmark,
  • Republic of Ireland,
  • West Germany,
  • Greece,
  • Luxembourg,
  • Netherlands,
  • United Kingdom.

Commonwealth countries and Dependent Territories

  • United Kingdom,
  • Antigua,
  • Bangladesh,
  • Barbados,
  • Bermuda,
  • Cyprus,
  • Dominica,
  • The Gambia,
  • Ghana,
  • Guyana,
  • Hong Kong,
  • Jamaica,
  • Kenya,
  • Malawi,
  • Malaysia,
  • Mauritius,
  • New Zealand,
  • Nigeria,
  • Sierra Leone,
  • Singapore,
  • Sri Lanka,
  • Tanzania,
  • Trinidad,
  • Uganda,
  • Zambia,
  • Zimbabwe.

Copies of the conclusions of the international medical advisory panel of the IPPF to which my hon. Friend refers have been received by the secretariat and some members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

Information received by the licensing authority from the company relating to the efficacy of Depo Provera in support of an application for a product licence is confidential for commercial reasons. A published study✶ has, however, given an estimate of a failure rate of 0.25 per 100 women-years, of use.

✶ Int. J. Gynaecol Obstet 15: 145–149, 1977.