Squalene (Hansard, 3 May 2000)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what adverse reactions there have been as a result of the use of squalene in vaccines. [120200]

§ Yvette Cooper
None. There are no licensed vaccines in the UK which include squalene as an adjuvant.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if squalene is authorised for use in vaccines in the UK. [120105]

§ Yvette Cooper
Squalene is not authorised for use in vaccines in the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring his Department is undertaking of patients who have been given squalene vaccine. [120301]

§ Yvette Cooper
Squalene is not itself a vaccine, but has been licensed in Italy as an adjuvant to influenza vaccine. Monitoring of all vaccines given in the United Kingdom is performed by the Medicines Control Agency and the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the use of squalene as an adjuvant in vaccines. [120104]

§ Yvette Cooper
No research has been commissioned on the use of squalene as an adjuvant in vaccines.
As for any new medicinal product, evaluation of research on the use of squalene as an adjuvant in vaccines, presented as part of a marketing application, would be performed by the Medicines Control Agency under conditions of commercial confidentiality.