§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has as to whether any of the doctors who prescribed Opren to individual patients after its product licence was withdrawn were participating in research programmes sponsored by Eli Lilly;
(2) how many people were given Opren, after its product licence was withdrawn, on a named person basis; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Newton[holding answer 29 April 1988]: Under the Medicines Act 1968, doctors are free to be supplied with 88W and to prescribe any unlicensed drug on a named patient basis if they judge it to be in the patient's best interest. There is no requirement under the Act for any notification of such prescribing so we have no record of how many people may have been given Opren, or how many doctors may have prescribed it on this basis after the licence was surrendered in August 1982. I am aware of a press report of 25 April claiming that under a private agreement with "the research arm of Eli Lilly" a doctor used this freedom to treat patients with Opren on "compassionate grounds" after the licence for the drug had been surrendered. Only Eli Lilly can confirm whether to its knowledge this or any other doctor who may have prescribed Opren after 1982 was at the time participating in a research programme sponsored by it.