U.K., Nov. 9 -- UK Parliament issued the following news:
The Health and Social Care Committee will examine the government's stance on providing redress to families and individuals impacted by Primodos.
Non-inquiry session: Primodos
Primodos was an oral hormone pregnancy test widely prescribed in the UK until it was withdrawn from the market in 1978 due to concerns, raised since the late 1950s, that it caused congenital abnormalities, stillbirths and miscarriages.
The cross-party Committee intends to hold an evidence session on 16 December to seek the views of experts, campaigners and to hear from a minister.
The government has historically rejected calls for impacted families to receive redress. In 2017 it endorsed the findings of the Commission on Human Medicines Expert Working Group review , which concluded there was insufficient evidence of a causal link between the drug and adverse outcomes. However, earlier this year Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave a speech in the Commons stating he would "get justice for the Primodos victims".
In 2019, legal proceedings were initiated by more than 170 people against three pharmaceutical companies who manufactured hormone pregnancy tests and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who was responsible for the regulation and provision of medicines. In May 2023, these claims were dismissed , with the judge concluding that no new evidence to establish causation was available.
The 2020 Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm , chaired by Baroness Julia Cumberledge, concluded that hormone pregnancy tests should have been withdrawn from 1967. The report noted "a possible association" exists between hormone pregnancy tests and malformations that "cannot be precluded", and said those affected should be entitled to support.
The government issued an apology in 2020 to people affected by Primodos, as well as other treatments such as vaginal mesh, but no further action was taken until the recent comments by the Prime Minister.
Chair comment
Health and Social Care Committee Chair Layla Moran MP said:
"A strong sense of injustice hangs over the decades-long Primodos saga. But with the Prime Minister telling Parliament he sides with victims, this Committee feels that now is the right moment to air the facts of this case and experiences of victims once again. We will examine the evidence and arguments behind the government's stance and reach our conclusions accordingly."
Further information
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Health and Social Care Committee
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