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Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccines

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list vaccines licensed since 1 February 1987 for mumps, measles, rubella or a combination of these indicating for each product the date on which a licence was granted, the conditions for which it was licensed and if the product licence is current. [19271]

Mr. Malone: The available information listing the vaccines licensed since February 1987 and still current is as follows:

Product name	Date of grant
Pulserix MMR Vaccine Injection with Diluent(19)	17 June 1988
Immravax Measles Mumps Rubella Live Attenuated Vaccine(19)	18 September 1989
Measavax Vaccine Injection(19)	18 September 1989
Rubavax Rubella Live Vaccine(19)	18 September 1989
Rublin--Rubella vaccine live BP	28 February 1992
Immravax/measles, mumps and rubella vaccine live BP	18 October 1993
Rimevax measles vaccine	25 October 1993
Mevilin-L Measles Vaccine Live BP	6 January 1994
Eolarix vaccine injection	22 July 1994
Merieux measles and rubella vaccine injection	1 September 1994
Measavax vaccine 1000TCID50/dose	13 October 1994
Rubavax injection (at least) 1000TCID50	14 October 1994
Almevax Rubella Vaccine(19)	2 November 1994
Ervevax rubella vaccine live EP RA 27/3 strain 1000TCID50	2 November 1994
MSD Meruvax II Vaccine(19)	2 November 1994
Mumpsvax Lyophilised Powder for Injection 2000IU(19)	2 November 1994
Pluserix MMR vaccine injection	9 February 1995
Pariorix vaccine	20 February 1995
M-M-R II Vaccine Injection(19)	24 March 1995
MSD Attenuvax Vaccine injection (at least) 1000TCID50(19)	24 March 1995
Meruvax II vaccine 1000TCID50	7 April 1995
Attenuvax injection	7 June 1995
M-M-R II vaccine injection	1 March 1996
Mumpsvax vacine injection 20000TCID50/dose	1 March 1996

(19) Indicates that the product licence has been cancelled.

Information relating to the conditions for which the products were licensed will be placed in the Library shortly.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for the last five years for which information is available the serious adverse reactions to vaccines

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containing components against mumps, measles or rubella; if he will list trial products which have been withdrawn; and if he will make a statement. [19324]

Mr. Malone: Drug analysis prints, listing all serious suspected reactions reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1996 for vaccines containing components against mumps, measles or rubella will be placed in the Library shortly, along with an information sheet to aid interpretation. No trial products have been withdrawn, and no licences for these vaccines have been suspended or revoked in the last five years.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 6 November, at columns 607-11 which discusses the replacement of the urabe strain of MMR vaccine with the current strain.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates the Committee on Safety of Medicines considered matters relating to mumps, measles and rubella vaccines which were recommended for licensing, indicating the date on which each product was considered. [19265]

Mr. Malone: The available information is as follows:

Issue	Considered by the Committee on	Name of product
Mumps	26 May 1983	Pariorix
Measles	18 December 1980	Rimevax
	28 July 1988	Measavax
	22-23 September 1988	Immravax
Rubella	26-27 September 1984	Ervevax
	28 July 1988	Rubavax
	22-23 September 1988	Immravax

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of suspected adverse reactions to mumps, measles and rubella vaccines for the last five years for which figures are available. [19266]

Mr. Malone: Suspected adverse reactions reports to measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are given in the table.

Numbers of suspected adverse reactions reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1996 for MMR vaccine in the United Kingdom

Year	All suspected adverse reactions (serious and non-serious) where MMR vaccine was indicated as a suspect drug	Number of reports where MMR vaccine was indicated as a suspect drug
1992	350	180
1993	232	129
1994	212	134
1995	228	122
1996	232	134

A report of a suspected adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the vaccine. Each report relates to one patient. Patients may have more than one suspected reaction and the number of reactions given exceeds the number of patients affected as seen above.

12 Mar 1997 : Column: 265

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the statements his Department has made since 1 January 1986 relating to vaccination against mumps, measles and rubella. [19269]

Mr. Horam: Full details of the recommendations for immunisation against measles, mumps and rubella are given in the United Kingdom Health Departments' memorandum "Immunisation against Infectious Disease" which is updated regularly and was published in 1996 (ISBN: 011 321815 X), 1992 (ISBN: 0 11 321515 0), 1990 (ISBN: 0 11 321251 8), 1988 (ISBN: 0 11321136 8) and 1984 (ISBN: 0 90 2650 69 6). The following letters from the chief medical officer and circulars about measles, mumps and/or rubella have also been issued: PL/CMO(96)6, PL/CMO(94)13, PL/CMO(94)12, PL/CMO(94)10, PL/CMO(92)11, PL/CMO(88)19, PL/CMO(88)17, PL/CMO(88)16; CMO Update Numbers 8 (November 1995), 7 (October 1995) and 6 (July 1995); EL(96)61, EL(95)113, EL(94)73 and EL(94)60. Press releases about these immunisations include: 96/239, 95/361, 95/209, 95/154, 94/599, 94/433, 94/354, H92/277, 89/476, 89/353, 89/8 and 88/166. Copies of all these are available in the Library.

Liquid Paraffin (Adverse Reactions)

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of suspected adverse reactions to liquid paraffin reported to the Medicines Control Agency for each of the last five years for which figures are available separately identifying the number of suspected adverse reactions relating to cancer. [19273]

Mr. Malone: The information requested is shown in the table.

Numbers of suspected adverse reactions reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1996 for paraffin liquid in the United Kingdom

Year	All suspected adverse reactions (serious and non-serious) where paraffin liquid was indicated as a suspect drug	Number of reports where liquid paraffin was indicated as a suspect drug
1992	2	1
1993	2	2
1994	0	0
1995	0	0
1996	5	4

None of these reactions were related to cancer. A report of a suspected adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Each report relates to one patient. Patients may have more than one suspected reaction and the number of reactions given usually exceeds the number of patients affected as seen above.

Committee on Safety of Medicines

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates between 12 July 1995 and 28 November 1995 the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary

12 Mar 1997 : Column: 266

of State, the hon. Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) met the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [19275]

Mr. Malone: None.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each of the chairmen of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, indicating their dates in office. [19326]

Mr. Malone: The information requested is as follows:

	Date in office
1. Professor Sir Eric Scowen MD DSc FRCP FRCS FRCP(Ed) FRCPath	1 January 1971 to 31 March 1976
2. Professor G. M. Wilson MD DSc FRCP FRCPE FRCPC FRSE	1 April 1976 to 31 December 1976
3. Professor Sir Eric Scowen MD DSc FRCP FRCS FRCP(Ed) FRCPath	1 January 1977 to 30 June 1980
4. Professor Sir Abraham Goldberg MD DSc FRCP FRSE	1 July 1980 to 31 December 1986
5. Professor Sir William Asscher BSc MD FRCP	1 January 1987 to 31 December 1992
6. Professor M. D. Rawlins BSc MD FRCP(Lon) FRCP(Ed) FFPM	1 January 1993 to date

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the quorum for a meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [19270]

Mr. Malone: Seven, including the chairman.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the date of the first "Dear Doctor" letter issued by a chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines; what was its subject; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [19321]

Mr. Malone: The first "Dear Doctor" letter from the Committee on Safety of Medicines was issued in August 1972 and related to the safety of Lanoxin, a brand of digoxin. Copies will be placed in the Library shortly.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount paid in attendance allowances to members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines relating to work carried out in October 1995. [19267]

Mr. Malone: The total amount paid in attendance allowance to members of the committee relating to work carried out in October 1995, was £2,850.

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