§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines he has issued to doctors about the risks of using the oral dreg Ketoconazole weighed against its benefits to patients.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines the body established under the Medicines Act to advise Health Ministers, wrote last month to all doctors in the United Kingdom about reports of liver damage associated with the use of oral Ketoconazole. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library. It advises doctors to weigh the potential benefits of treatment against the risk of liver damage and to monitor their patients carefully both clinically and biochemically. The letter supplements the guidance published by the manufacturer in its data sheet on the product's side effects and contra-indications.