§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the frequency of serious adverse reactions to Halothane when administered once, twice or more in a lifetime and twice within six weeks;
(2) what representations he has received and what advice he has given concerning the death of Mrs. H. Teather, of 6 Warren Mount, Kimberworth, Rotherham, Yorkshire, from Halothane poisoning.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeMy right hon. Friend has received correspondence from the right hon. Member for Bristol, South-East (Mr. Benn) concerning this sad case. The hon. Member will appreciate however that it would not be right for me to comment on individual cases.
The statistics requested are not available. The association of this anaesthetic agent with serious adverse effects has been the subject of extensive investigation and it has been concluded that a very small number of people—perhaps about one in 30,000—may develop a serious reaction, which may cause liver damage, especially if they are anaesthetised with halothane more than once within a short period. Doctors were warned of this possibility in a letter from the Committee on Safety of Medicines in 1974, and product literature includes a warning about repeated use of the drug.