§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the percentage of NHS prescriptions involved in adverse drug reactions in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [152813]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonData are not available to allow estimation of the percentage of national health service prescriptions which involved adverse drug reactions in the last year. Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions are collected by the Committee on Safety of Medicines/Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The main purpose of the scheme is to identify new drug safety hazards and not to quantify their incidence.