§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments she has made of the effect on health of the use of anabolic agents.
§ Mr. SackvilleAnabolic steroids are used therapeutically for certain hormonal and blood disorders. Before a medicinal product may be licensed in this country, it is subject to stringent assessments to ensure that it meets acceptable standards of safety, quality and efficacy. Thereafter, the Medicines Control Agency and its advisory committees, such as the committee on safety of medicines, monitor the safety of all licensed medicines.
In addition, the Department of Health and Departments for Scotland and for Wales commissioned a report from the Centre for Research on Drugs and Drug Behaviour in 1993, "Anabolic Steroid Use in Great Britain: An Exploratory Investigation", copies of which are in the Library.