§ Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Why the manufacture and sale of the alkyl nitrites, which are used as vasodilator drugs both in cardiovascular disease and for recreational purposes as a "sex drug" and are regulated by the Medicines Act, are permitted on unlicensed premises and sold as poppers' by unlicensed organisations; and whether the Secretary of State is able to ensure that the Medicines Commission and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society will take the appropriate action to curtail these activities.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)The Medicines Control Agency (MCA), an Executive Agency of the Department of Health, regulates human medicines in the United Kingdom in accordance with the Medicines Acts of 1968 and 1971 and Pharmaceutical Directives of the European Community. No alkyl nitrite is licensed as a medicinal product, and in consequence no product containing it is currently subject to the statutory controls on the manufacture and supply of medicinal products.
Alkyl nitrites are not being promoted for sale explicitly as sexual stimulants. If they were, they would have to be licensed under the Medicines Act 1968, which defines interference with a physiological function as a medicinal purpose. The MCA will investigate all reports of unlicensed medicines, their advertising, labelling and sales, and take the appropriate enforcement action. We are aware of concerns that alkyl nitrites are being misused. The Government and the Advisory 20WA Council on the Misuse of Drugs, an independent body of experts set up under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, are keeping the matter under review.