§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) under what circumstances the Committee on Safety of Medicines may exercise its powers to control the sale of substances which it is within its terms of reference to consider;
(2) how a drug is defined for the purposes of the work of the Committee on Safety of Medicines;
24W(3) what powers the Committee on Safety of Medicines has to control the sale of those products which are within its terms of reference to consider;
(4) whether it is within the terms of reference of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to consider the safety or health promoting qualities of any substances apart from drugs;
(5) whether he is satisfied that the vitamin B17 is safe for human consumption;
(6) whether he will arrange for an investigation into the safety of vitamin B17 which is on sale as a health food.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe Medicines Act 1968, confers on Ministers the power by order to extend the controls exercised over medicinal products to the sale of other products such as B17 (Laetrile or amygdalin) if they appear to be sold for a medicinal purpose. Whilst I am not aware of any reports of adverse effects attributed to the consumption of B17 (which I understand is not a vitamin) in the United Kingdom, in view of reports of deaths in the United States, the Department has been reviewing the evidence on the safety of this substance.
In the light of that review, I am seeking the advice of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines on the safety of B17 (Laetrile or amygdalin). One of the functions of the CSM in these and similar circumstances, is to advise Ministers with regard to the safety of any substance or article to which any provision of the Medicines Act is applicable, including any substance which it is proposed to control. The committee itself does not have powers of control.