§ Mr. Charles Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy towards the use of sweeteners in paediatric medicines; what sweeteners are currently approved by his Department and used in manufacture; and how their use is reviewed.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to the reply, 3 December 1984, c. 81.]: There is no comprehensive list of sweeteners approved by the licensing authority for use in medicinal products since all non-active ingredients are evaluated as components of the individual products containing them. The following are the main substances contained in currently licensed medicinal products as sweeteners: sodium cyclamate, saccharin sodium, honey, calcium cyclamate, sorbital solution 70 per cent. syrup, calcium saccharin, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, brown sugar, golden syrup, saccharin sodium-anhydrous, karion 83, feculose, ammoniated glyclyrrhizin, compressible sugar, saccharin solution, celutab, puratose K, aspartame, liquid sugar demineralised, dextrates, liquid sugar gran liquors, hydrogenated glucose syrup.
In deciding whether to licence products containing sweeteners, a number of product-related factors are considered, for example, the pharmaceutical form of the product, the route of administration, the other ingredients, the indications for use and the recommended dosage. The safety of all medicinal products is monitored by the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the other Committees set up under the Medicines Act who would advise us if there was a problem related to a particular sweetener.
We have received expert advice that the long-term use of sweeteners containing sucrose in paediatric medicines can cause severe tooth decay and a warning to doctors about this has been included in the British National 235W Formulary. We are encouraged that a number of manufactures have been able to eliminate sucrose from their paediatric medicines.