§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which medicinal products for injection or surgical implantation using materials derived from bovine brain or lymphoid tissue were licensed under the Medicines Acts(a) in April 1985, (b) in February 1989 and (c) in November 1996. [5665]
§ Mr. MaloneNo medicinal products for injection or implantation derived from bovine brain were licensed in the United Kingdom in February 1989 or November 1996.
Surgical catgut and some heparin preparations derived from bovine intestine, which contains lymphoid tissue were licensed in February 1989.
All catgut and heparin licensed as at November 1996, and currently marketed in the UK, comply with the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products guideline on minimizing the risk of transmission of agents causing spongiform encephalopathies via medicinal products.
No data are available for April 1985.
Notes:
Definition: Catgut consists of strands of tissues prepared from the intestinal membranes of mammals, which when formed into cords, are used in surgery as an absorbable suture.Definition: Heparin is a preparation containing the salt of a sulphated sugar derivative present in mammalian tissues, including gut lining. It has the characteristic property of delaying the clotting of freshly shed blood. It is used as an injection to prevent blood clots.