Medicines

HC Deb 30 March 1990 vol 170 cc365-7W

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) who attended the meeting of the Committee on Review of Medicines that reviewed the alcohol content of gripe water; who gave evidence to the meeting; and what conclusions were reached;

(2) if he will introduce legislation to permit publication on the deliberations and conclusions of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Committee on Review of Medicines;

(3) what alcohol limits are permitted in gripe water currently on sale;

(4) who are the members of the Committee on Review of Medicines.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

There are no present plans to amend section 118 of the Medicines Act, 1968 which generally prohibits the disclosure of information obtained in pursuance of the Act. The statutory appeal procedures are not complete in the cases to which the right hon. Member refers. It would be inappropriate to comment in any way prejudicial to them.

The current membership of the Committee on Review of Medicines is as follows: Professor D. H. Lawson (Chairman) MD FRCP Consultant Physician, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow Visiting Professor University of Strathclyde Mr. A. G. Amias FRCS FRCOG Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, St. Georges Hospital, London Professor T. H. D. Arie MA BM BCh FRCP FRCPsych FFCM DPM (Eng) Professor of Health Care of the Elderly, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham Professor C. J. Bulpitt MD MSc FRCP Reader of Epidemiology, Head of Division of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital Professor J. E. Carless BPharm MSc PhD FRPharmS Emeritus Professor of Pharmeutics, University of London Mr. W. M. Darling CBE FRPharmS Pharmacist, Chairman, South Tyneside Health Authority Professor F. Fish OBE Pharm PhD FRPharmS Dean, School of Pharmacy, University of London Professor F. Harris MD MMed (Paed) FRCP (Ed) FRCP (Lond) Professor of Child Medicine and Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leicester Professor J. G. R. Howie MD PhD FRCP (Ed) FRCGP Professor of General Practice, University of Edinburgh Dr. B. J. Kirby MB ChB FRCP Deputy Director, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, Consultant Physician, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Professor Rona Mackie MD FRCP FRCPath FRSE Professor of Dermatology, University of Glasgow Dr. Agnes McKnight MD MRCGP DObst RCOG Senior Lecturer, Department of General Practice, Queens University, Belfast Professor J. M. Midgley BSc MSc PhD CChem FRCS FRPharmS Chairman and Head, Department of General Practice, Queens University, Belfast Dr. A. T. Proudfoot MB ChB FRCP (Ed) Consultant Physician, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh and Director of Scottish Poisons Information Bureau Dr. L. E. Ramsey MB ChB FRCP Consultant Physician, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated annual cost to his Department of monitoring the promotion of prescription medicines to ensure that companies do not infringe the Medicines Act.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Approximately £8,000.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions he has prosecuted pharmaceutical companies for infringing the Medicines Act through their promotion of prescription medicines.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Once. All notifications of possible infringements are investigated.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how often during the years 1983–88 he referred complaints regarding the promotion of prescribed medicines to the code of practice committee of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Eleven. In addition, staff of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) take up direct with companies issues which it would not be appropriate to refer to the ABPI committee such as those which should be considered for formal enforcement or warning letters.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to require the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (i) to have fewer than half the members on the code of practice committee from the industry, (ii) to give complainants the same right to hearing as defendants, (iii) to hold its hearings in public, (iv) to publish its reports and (v) to introduce a right of appeal.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

We have no present plans to do so.