§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what vaccines used in the UK contain Thimerosal; [162711]
(2) when the use of Thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines was discontinued in the UK. [162712]
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the Government gave a commitment to phase out the use of thimerosal in whooping cough vaccine; [162205]
(2) for what reason whooping cough vaccine containing thimerosal is still being used in the United Kingdom; [162206]
(3) whether his Department has consulted (a) the US, (b) Japan, (c) Sweden, (d) Australia and (e) Spain as to the reasons why they have ceased using whooping cough vaccines containing thimerosal; [162207]
(4) when the Government plan to phase out thimerosal in whooping cough vaccine. [162208]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 18 March 2004]: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has written to manufacturers of vaccines used in the United Kingdom to alert them to the need to phase out the use of thiomersal in vaccines where possible. This follows advice from the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA), endorsed by the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM), to phase out use of thiomersal, wherever possible, as a precautionary recommendation aimed at limiting avoidable exposure to mercury compounds.
Manufacturers are actively developing research programmes to eliminate, substitute or reduce thiomersal in vaccines, and to develop new thiomersal-free vaccines. This may take time, because manufacturers need to ensure that thiomersal-free vaccines are safe and effective.
The UK currently uses a wholecell containing whooping cough vaccine (which contains thiomersal) because this vaccine offers the best protection against the disease. Whooping cough is a serious disease in young babies that can lead to death. Also, there is strong evidence that thiomersal in vaccines does not cause neurological damage to children and the CSM continues to advise that the balance of benefits and risks of thiomersal-containing vaccines is overwhelmingly positive. The UK wi11 move to thiomersal-free vaccines when an equally effective alternative becomes available.
Other countries have moved to acellular whooping cough vaccines because they cause lower levels of adverse reactions, such as a sore arm, in older infants than wholecell vaccines. In the UK, this is not an issue, as babies receive the vaccine when they are young.
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThiomersal (also known as thimerosal) is present in the following childhood vaccines: the combined diptheria-tetanus-wholecell pertussis and Haernophilus Influenzae vaccine for 1627W primary immunisation and the combined diptheria/tetanus vaccine used for boosting teenagers. Details of the vaccines used in the childhood immunisation programme can be found in the national health service Factsheet, Thiomersal and vaccines.
Other vaccines that contain thiomersal are: Anthrax vaccine, some hepatitis A vaccines, some hepatitis B vaccines, some influenza vaccines and the diptheria-tetanus-wholecell pertussis vaccine.
The use of thiomersal in vaccines has not been discontinued in the United Kingdom. The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) recommended in 1999 that vaccine manufacturers phase out use of thiomersal wherever possible. This was a purely precautionary recommendation aimed at limiting avoidable exposure to mercury compounds. EMEA acknowledged that there was no evidence of harm caused by thiomersal in vaccines. The Commit tee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) endorsed this recommendation in 1999 and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also supports the EMEA statement. There is strong evidence that thiomersal in vaccines does not cause neurological damage to children and the CSM continues to advise that the balance of benefits and risks of thiomersal-containing vaccines is overwhelmingly positive.
In line with the EMEA recommendation, manufacturers are actively developing research programmes to eliminate, substitute or reduce thiomersal in vaccines. This may take time because manufacturers are required to ensure that the replacement or elimination of thiomersal does not affect the safety or efficacy of the final vaccine.