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PETITIONS
Winter Fuel Payment
12.17 am
Mr. Michael Jabez Foster (Hastings and Rye): I have the honour to present a petition prepared by Patrick Iddenden and others and signed by more than 100 residents of Hastings and Rye, mostly disabled, who seek an extension of the winter fuel payment to disabled people. Sadly, the first person named on the petition, Patrick Iddenden, has died suddenly since collecting the names, but his widow, Jacqueline, has requested that the petition still be presented.
Addressed to the House of Commons, the petition of Patrick Iddenden, Zena Gould and others declares:
- That disabled people suffer from similar mobility problems, and low incomes, as do the elderly, and that their need for warmth during winter months is equally important.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge Her Majesty's Government to allow those on Disability Benefits to qualify for the Winter Fuel Allowance presently only available to the over 60s.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
Chenies Village
12.18 am
Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): I present a petition of more than 400 residents of and visitors to Chenies village.
- Strong opposition to the erection of a 16-metre mast together with equipment cabinets surrounded by a 2-metre high edge and fence compound at OS Field 0069 opposite the Van Hage Garden Company in Chenies; notes that it will significantly detract from and adversely affect the landscape and the locality; and further notes that there are conflicting reports regarding the health risks associated with these masts.
The Petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge that that a "precautionary" approach be adopted given the proximity of the mast to local resident children and Chenies Primary School.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
Schools (Buckinghamshire)
12.19 am
Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): I should like to take the opportunity to present a second petition—that of 170 residents of Jordans and others.
- Strong opposition to the review of school catchment areas by Buckinghamshire County Council, which will result not only in the loss of four out of five schools but also in children being sent to three totally new schools, two of which are in High Wycombe over ten miles away; notes that although the changes are purported to cut transport costs and journey times, they will result in children travelling to school over ten miles away; and further notes that while the changes are in intended to give parents a choice of schools, they will result in the parents of children in Jordans losing their choice, particularly for girls.
The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge Buckinghamshire County Council to reinstate Dr. Challoner's Grammar School and Dr. Challoner's High School for the village of Jordans and prevent children from Jordans travelling to High Wycombe, which is over twice the distance away.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
Roaccutane
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Jim Murphy.]
12.20 am
Clive Efford (Eltham): I have requested this Adjournment debate because of the widespread concern that exists about the side effects of the drug Roaccutane, which is used to treat people suffering from the most acute cases of acne.
The most common side effects of this drug are worth putting on record:
- "Dryness of the skin especially the lips and face and you may get some mild itching and slight peeling. The face may be redder than usual. A dry throat which may cause hoarseness. Dryness of the mucous membranes inside the nose, that may become crusted causing minor nose bleeds . . . Dry eyes that may irritate. This may be a particular problem for patients who wear contact lenses . . . muscle aches . . . you should avoid vigorous exercise. Temporary loss or increase of hair."
- "headaches, nausea, fatigue, sweating, changes of the menstrual cycle, slight loss of hearing, changes in vision, jaundice, liver disease, anaemia, seizures and inflammatory bowel disease . . . Some people have experienced mood changes (depression or symptoms of mental disorders) . . . and in rare cases suicide and attempts of suicide. You may also suffer from systemic infections, localised bacterial infections such as infection of the tissue surrounding the base of the nail, swellings which discharge pus, increased facial pigmentation and swollen glands. There may also be inflammation of the blood vessels, blood in the urine and changes in blood glucose levels (especially for patients with diabetes) . . . On rare occasions the uric acid level in your blood may increase and if you suffer from gout, it could trigger an attack. Very high levels of uric acid may affect the function of your kidney. You may also bruise or bleed more easily due to changes in blood cells, which are needed to clot the blood. Other blood changes may make you more prone to infections."
- "If any of the above side effects become troublesome you should consult your doctor",
Mr. Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton): My hon. Friend is being very kind to the Minister. Perhaps I can play the hard cop to his soft cop routine on listing the side effects of this dreadful drug. I remind my hon. Friend of the case of Luke Garner, who took this drug at the age of 13.
If I may assist my hon. Friend, I will list the after-effects that Luke suffered. They include mental disturbance, arthralgia, bone pain, bone tenderness, cheilitis, cheilosis, epistaxis, inflammation or burning lips, ocular irritation, skin rash, dry eyes, dry mouth, hair loss, dry skin, severe headaches, nasal dryness, peeling skin, unusual tiredness, depression, joint stiffness, mood changes, muscle stiffness, myalgia, optic neuritis, trouble with concentration, fatigue, weakness, paraesthesias, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, loss of appetite, malaise, lethargy, swollen glands, various infections, extreme facial and body flushing, difficulty in walking and panic attacks.
According to two neurologists, he also suffers from Guillain-Barre syndrome as a direct result of taking the drug.
Clive Efford: My hon. Friend illustrates the scale of the problems and conditions faced by people who take the drug.
I accept that acne can be a serious condition for the people who suffer from it and that there is a balance to be struck between the risk of medication and the effect of the continuing condition on a patient. However, none of the advice that is given to practitioners or patients warns that any of the side effects may be permanent, which is the most important issue in the debate.
The problems with Roaccutane reached my attention when I was approached by Mrs. Stokes-Perkins. Her son Jack was diagnosed with acne at the age of 13. He was a successful student at school and one of those sickening individuals who are good at just everything they do. He was doing well academically and achieving a great deal at sport. He was a confident and outgoing young man. He developed acne at the age of 13 and tried every course of medication available but although he experienced slight remissions, the acne continued to return.
In January 2001, it was decided that Jack should take a course of Roaccutane. It was his choice to take the drug. He discussed the situation with his family and knew that there was a potentially serious risk of major side effects such as depression, but with the support of his family, he decided to go ahead with the course. Jack was 6 ft 2 in by that time. He was the house captain of his rugby team and played rugby for the Old school under-18 team and, at weekends, for Blackheath rugby club. He organised sport and social events and was part of his school debating society.
Jack took the course of Roaccutane and everything seemed fine. On returning to his doctor, he was prescribed another course, which seemed to go fine until the last week of the course when the skin on Jack's lips started to fall away. Consequently, Jack finished up with a condition meaning that sunlight dried and cracked his lips, cold weather made them swell and water made the skin fall off. If he went to places such as pubs, the smoky atmosphere made his lips crack. By August 2002—a year later—he would go out only if he was wearing a mask.
Jack cannot eat normally because anything that comes into contact with his lips causes the skin to fall off. He cannot work to subsidise his activities because he never knows what his daily condition will be. His social life has been virtually destroyed. He is on permanent medication to try to minimise the permanent side effect of Roaccutane. He has seen two senior consultant dermatologists who both concluded that Roaccutane is to blame for his condition. Dr. Chu from Hammersmith hospital has publicly called for an inquiry into Roaccutane and its side effects.
Jack has been permanently disfigured as a result of taking the drug but other people have had their lives wrecked and some have committed suicide. The drug is a derivative of vitamin A, an overdose of which can have damaging effects on people's mental state. He was aware
of those warnings and, thankfully, did not suffer such side effects but other people have. I have seen figures from the World Health Organisation that report 20,000 cases of adverse drug reaction reports relating to Roaccutane as far back as 1997. Figures for the United Kingdom show that, of 170 million prescriptions of drugs relating to acne, there were 239 adverse drug reaction reports, of which 135 related to Roaccutane—more than 50 per cent. There were nine suicides, eight attempted suicides and six cases of people indicating that they had a desire or intention to commit suicide. All those cases related to people who had taken Roaccutane. Of those 170 million prescriptions in the UK, Roaccutane accounts for just 12,400, yet every suicide-related case related to Roaccutane.In the past year, I have tabled a number of questions relating to the drug but unfortunately the answers have not been forthcoming because the Medicines Control Agency has been undertaking a review on behalf of the European Commission. I contacted the MCA today and it has advised me that it has finished its review, has passed its report to the European Commission and is waiting for its conclusions.
I have discovered today by talking to the MCA that the review will be about not whether the drug should continue in use but what advice will accompany the drug when it is prescribed. I have chosen to have the debate ahead of that report not only because we have been waiting far too long for conclusions but because we need to try to influence the conclusions that the European Commission may come to on the drug.
I accept that there may be a place for Roaccutane in the treatment of acne sufferers but more needs to be known about the potential damage that it can cause. Roche, the manufacturers, will not accept that its drug caused Jack's condition. How many others is it denying whom we do not know about?
There are many examples that we do know about, however. Charles Bishop was the teenager who flew a plane into the Bank of America Plaza in Tampa. Hon. Members may recall that that happened soon after the 9/11 twin towers catastrophe. It was seen to be a copycat attack at the time but turned out to be by someone who had been taking Accutane, the United States equivalent of Roaccutane.
Congressman Bart Stupac's son BJ unexpectedly committed suicide on the night of his school prom at a party at his house. He was a young individual with a life in front of him. The description of him sounds very much like that of Jack. Luke Hassett finished up in a psychiatric unit having taken Roaccutane.
Today, I went on to the web to find out more information about the drug. I have discovered that it is available on the web. The website that I visited listed 200 countries from which it can be purchased over the internet. In the UK, evidence of prescribing for conditions for which the drug was not originally intended are rife.
In an article in The Sunday Times, a spokeswoman from Roche said:
- "We have had external scientists and internal scientists look into the side-effects and we have found no causal relationship between Roaccutane and any psychiatric events, from depression or suicide."
I hope that my hon. Friend the Minister has listened to what I have said and to the case described by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle). If this situation continues and the European Commission does not come to a satisfactory conclusion in its deliberations on the drug, we will back on the Floor of the House debating this matter again. People cannot continue to be put at risk as a result of taking the drug without being given clear advice and information about its possible risks.
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