§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what products of SAMR and Porton Products have had agreements to market and distribute since 1980; to whom they were marketed and distributed; and if he will make a statement. [134132]
§ Yvette CooperThe Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) has been the executive arm of a special health authority, the Microbiological Research Authority, since April 1994. Prior to that date, it was part of the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). CAMR had a distributorship and marketing agreement with a private sector company, Porton Products Ltd., from April 1985 to October 1998 (at which time the term of the agreement ended). The range of products covered by the agreement included frozen bacterial cell pastes, enzymes and proteins, vaccines and therapeutic toxins. A full list will be deposited in the Library.
241WPorton Products distributed CAMR products to a range of healthcare customers worldwide. Porton Products was purchased by a French company, the Beaufour Ipsen Group, in 1994. Beaufour Ipsen may be able to provide the hon. Member with information relating to the customers for these products.
CAMR has only two current licence agreements with Beaufour Ipsen. These are for Dysport (a botulinum toxin-based therapeutic used in the treatment of cerebral palsy), and Erwinase (an enzyme used in the treatment of childhood leukaemia).