§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what published reports referred to in letters from the Committee on Safety of Medicines establish the safety of the drug Depo Provera, if these reports are referred to in his replies to parliamentary questions by the hon. Member for Eccles; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. VaughanI am not aware of any letters from the Committee on Safety of Medicines that would indicate that there were published reports which establish the absolute safety of Depo Provera. All modern drugs may cause side effects in some patients, which have to be weighted against the potential benefits. The CSM is aware of the side effects of Depo Provera referred to in published reports but it is its professional judgment that they do not constitute a significant hazard to patients treated for the currently licensed indications.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage and the nature of adverse reactions to Depo Provera contained in the published and unpublished reports available to the Committee on Safety of Medicines referred to in his letter of 30 547W September to the hon. Member for Eccles; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. VaughanIt would be impracticable to collate and tabulate the nature and incidence of adverse reactions to Depo Provera contained in the research reports available to the Committee on Safety of Medicine; the criteria adopted by different researchers vary and their results are not, therefore, always statistically comparable.