§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps have been taken during the course of the last year to ensure that the dangers of using the broad spectrum antibiotic known as chloromycetin are made known in the medical profession.
§ Mr. EnnalsEarlier this year the firm's recommended indications for use of the drug were amended in the light of advice from the Standing Joint Committee on the Classification of Proprietary Preparations so as to make clear the circumstances in which its use is recommended.
An advisory notice on the use of the drug and its associated risks had been issued previously (in January, 1967), by the Committee on Safety of Drugs and this was followed by a sharp and continuing reduction in use. The number of prescriptions in 1967 was only half that in 1966, and the decline has continued.