HC Deb 25 March 1999 vol 328 cc382-3W
Mr. Tredinnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the revised timetable for the consideration of responses to proposals contained in the Medicines Control Agency Consultation Document MLX249, and on the timetable for legislative action arising from those proposals. [78560]

Ms Jowell

The Medicines Control Agency is presently considering the responses to the proposals with a view to making recommendations to Ministers. In the light of those recommendations, we will consider whether or what legislation should be put before Parliament. As we have previously said, we are not tied to the April 1999 date suggested in the proposals.

Mr. Tredinnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the companies to which the Medicines Control Agency has written in the last 12 months indicating that it is considering classifying as a medicine, products which that company currently markets as a food, indicating in each case the ingredients concerned and the(a) scientific and (b) legal basis for the action. [78565]

Ms Jowell

No. The Medicines Control Agency has considered the classification of over 900 products in the last twelve months and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Tredinnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated cost of providing scientific evidence to support an application for a product licence for the Medicines Control Agency; and what is the average time taken by the Agency to consider such applications. [78564]

Ms Jowell

The cost of providing scientific evidence to support an application for a product licence is met by the applicant and the Government have made no estimate of the average cost of application. The average time taken to consider such applications varies according to the type of application. These are detailed in the Medicines Control Agency's Annual Report, copies of which are available in the Library. The mean time for the assessment of new active substances in 1997–98 was 44 days.

Mr. Tredinnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) herbal products and (b) blends of herbs with vitamins that are sold as foods, the Medicines Control Agency is considering for assessment as medicines, indicating the ingredients concerned in each case. [78566]

Ms Jowell

The Medicines Control Agency is not considering for assessment as medicines any herbal products or blends of herbs with vitamins legitimately sold as foods.