HC Deb 26 July 1993 vol 229 cc544-5W
Mr. Burden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department has concerning(a) the current state of progress of the proposed EC directive on the distance selling of medicines and (b) the extent of the trade in the United Kingdom and the EC in counterfeit and reimported medicines.

Mr. Sackville

A European Commission proposal for a directive on distance selling is under discussion in Brussels. A first reading of the Commission's proposal has been completed. The European Parliament has recently submitted its opinion on the proposal. The Commission is now revising the text of the proposal to take account of that opinion and of the views of member states. It is expected the discussions of the revised text will begin in Brussels in September.

There has been one instance of a fake medicinal product in the last 12 months in the United Kingdom which was intercepted before it reached the public. Records are not maintained of medicinal products legitimately reimported.

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the counterfeit medicines discovered in the United Kingdom during the last three years were produced.

Mr. Sackville

Three instances of fake medicines have been discovered in the last three years. Production sources were never proven but investigators believed that the products came from a variety of sources.

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to ensure that counterfeit and copycat versions of British medicines illicitly produced in Northern Cyprus are not reaching the NHS market.

Mr. Sackville

Any report of alleged counterfeit or copycat version of British medicines illicitly produced in northern Cyprus reaching the national health service market would be immediately investigated by the Medicines Control Agency. In addition, the agency undertakes regular inspections of wholesale distribution and independently samples a range of products available to the public. Both inspection and sampling procedures include mechanisms to identify possible suspect products.

Mr. Dalyell

The ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the United Kingdom Government have given to the World Health Organisation campaign against counterfeit medicines.

Mr. Sackville

The United Kingdom Government are in regular contact with World Health Organisation (WHO) and actively support its campaign against counterfeit medicines. The United Kingdom has been at the forefront in assisting WHO with the development of a unified scheme for the certification of medicinal products which are traded internationally. The Medicines Control Agency shares with WHO its own experiences and strategies gained from investigations into counterfeit medicines.