§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the accuracy of information given to general practitioners in connection with the prescription of the drug Prozac; and if she will make a statement.
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§ Mr. SackvilleProzac is an effective and very widely prescribed anti-depressant. The data sheet for Prozac which contains prescribing information and side-effects, is produced by the manufacturer and is authorised by the licensing authority. It is included in the data sheet compendium which is sent to all doctors. The accuracy of the data sheet is kept under review by the Medicines Control Agency, and where necessary changes are made to reflect evolving knowledge of its use, effectiveness and safety.
In addition, all general practitioners regularly receive free information on drugs available in the United Kingdom through the "British National Formulary, Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin", "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance" and the medicines resource centre. Professional advice is also available from the medical advisers support centre. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.