§ Viscount Cranborneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what regulations govern the manufacturers of contraceptive pills in an effort to ensure the safety of their product; and whether he is satisfied with them;
(2) how many women have died in the past five years from the effects of the contraceptive pill.
§ Dr. VaughanThe manufacturers of all pharmaceutical products, including the oral contraceptive, are governed in the United Kingdom by the licensing system established by the Medicines Act 1968. It is, however, true that the contraceptive pill, like all other effective medicines on the market today, can be a cause of serious or even fatal adverse reactions. The Committee on Safety of Medicines which is responsible for advising Ministers on the safety, quality and efficacy of medicinal products has collected information about suspected adverse reactions to drugs since 1964. In the past five years the committee has received approximately 2,300 reports from doctors which have mentioned the contraceptive pill. Of those about 150 have described fatal events. However, it does not follow that there is in all cases a causal relationship312W between the use of the pill and the reported deaths which may have occurred independently. On the advice of the committee, contraceptive manufacturers have agreed to warn doctors of the increased risks associated with age and smoking and suggest that alternative methods of contraception should be advised for women likely to be affected.