§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the quantity of single(a) measles and (b) mumps vaccines imported by GPs and private healthcare providers in the last year. [120237]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonDuring the year ending March 2003, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received notifications to import an average of approximately 10,000 doses of measles vaccine per month and approximately 8,000 doses of mumps vaccine per month. Each notification is an intention to import only and does not necessarily reflect the number of doses actually imported. A survey by the MHRA has indicated that only 34 per cent. and 21 per cent. (for measles vaccine and mumps vaccine respectively) of the doses notified were followed through to importation. It is not known how many of these doses were actually given.
The figures are provided following further examination of the MHRA database of import notifications. This has revealed a serious inaccuracy in the reply provided to the hon. Member on 4 December 2002, Official Report, columns 903–04W.
The answer stated that the average number of notifications per month received by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) to import all brands of single mumps vaccine during 2002 was 3,014 doses. The answer at that time should have stated that the average number of doses notified per month to the MCA to import all brands of single mumps vaccine was 8,141 doses (for the 10 months ending October 2002).
This discrepancy stems from the method of estimating the number of doses from the number of notifications of intentions to import unlicensed vaccines. Differences between the pack sizes of products, which had previously been assumed to have been the same as the number of doses, were the cause of these discrepancies. After extensive manual examination of records, these figures have now been corrected and systems have been put in place to prevent their recurrence. I apologise to the hon. Member for this inadvertent error.