HC Deb 19 March 1993 vol 221 cc435-6W
Mr. Colin Shepherd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that experts in herbal, homoeopathic, biochemic and anthroposophical medicines are appointed to the advisory committee, the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products and the Medical and Scientific Council of the Medicines Evaluation Agency which is to be established to oversee and monitor medicines in the European Community.

Mr. Sackville

There is already expertise in complementary therapies and herbal medicine available to the licensing authority from the advisory bodies established under section 2 and section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968. The Department is considering ways this can be supplemented to meet the demands of the EC Directive on homoeopathic medicinal products due to be implemented by 31 December 1993.

The Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) comprises an elected President, delegates from the EC member states and a Secretariat provided by the European Commission. The United Kingdom delegate is the Director of the Medicines Control Agency. Individual national experts form part of the United Kingdom delegation to CPMP meetings. The composition of the delegation depends on the nature of the subjects to be discussed at any particular meeting.

The European Commission's proposal for a Scientific Council has now been abandoned.