§ Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued to hospital trusts about purchasing thalidomide, and if he will make a statement. [15896]
§ Mr. MaloneNo guidance specifically relating to purchasing has been issued for the drug thalidomide. "Guidance on thalidomide" was published by the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Medicines Control Agency in the May 1994 issue of "Current Problems in Pharmocovigilance", a drug safety bulletin circulated to all doctors, dentists, pharmacists and coroners. This guidance note strongly advised all doctors considering the use of thalidomide to follow detailed external guidelines on the clinical use and distribution of thalidomide, which were published in a widely available medical journal. A reminder was published in the July 1995 issue.