HC Deb 21 July 1978 vol 954 cc457-8W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 21st June, if he will publish in the Official Report an estimate of the number of prescriptions issued in each of the last 10 years for those hormone drugs which are used for pregnancy testing and for other purposes.

Mr. Moyle

Further to my reply to my hon. Friend on 21st June—[Vol. 952, c.232–3.]—the number of prescriptions issued in England between 1970 and 1976 —the latest year for which figures are available—is as follows:

Year No. of Prescriptions
1970 489,000
1971 446,000
1972 414,000
1973 372,000
1974 289,000
1975 213,000
1976 143,000

Figures for the years before 1970 relate to prescriptions issued in both England and Wales and therefore are not compatible with those above.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his reply of 21st June, if he will give the date when action was taken about advertising and licensing of hormone pregnancy test drugs; what that action was; if he will publish details of the communications with doctors that is referred to in the reply; and if he will publish further details about the three other occasions when similar action has been taken;

(2) if he will give the most recent figure for the number of the 36,000 product licences of right given in 1971 which are still effective; and how many of those no longer effective were voluntarily surrendered;

(3) of those product licences of right which have been voluntarily withdrawn, how many are estimated to have been withdrawn for the following reasons (a) because of preliminary inquiries by the Committee on Review of Medicines, (b) because they were no longer commercially successful, (c) because they contained an active ingredient which had been assessed by the Committee on Review of Medicines and (d) other reasons;

(4) how many of the existing individual product licences of right have now been individually reviewed by the Committee on Review of Medicines;

(5) what proportion of the drugs which have product licences of right contain active ingredients which have not been assessed by the Committee on Review of Medicines;

(6) how many medicine review letters have now been issued; and if he will publish the names of the main drugs referred to in each.

Mr. Moyle

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.