Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency 2025-01-16

Questions the MHRA's actions regarding timely warnings to patients, inquires about compensation and transparency issues related to vaccine safety.

Agrees with Esther McVey's arguments on the need for MHRA reform due to under-reporting, lack of transparency, and delayed responses to serious issues.

Chope echoed Stringer's concerns about over-reliance on unelected, unaccountable organisations such as the MHRA. He introduced his own legislation, the Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Bill, calling for an independent review of vaccine damage and its compensation. Chope criticised the government’s slow response to claims and called for greater transparency in the monitoring of side effects and their consequences.

Kruger discussed over-prescription of drugs, particularly antidepressants, noting that prescriptions have doubled in the past twelve years. He called for better training of GPs and clearer communication of risks associated with SSRIs. Additionally, he questioned the MHRA's handling during the COVID vaccine roll-out.

Hodgson focused on mandatory reporting of adverse events to the yellow card by healthcare professionals. She highlighted that the current voluntary system is broken, leading to many adverse events going unreported. She argued for real-time tracking and assessment by the MHRA to prevent future health scandals.

Lowe criticises the MHRA for its handling of the COVID response, arguing that it is inadequately funded and overly influenced by pharmaceutical companies. He asserts that the agency failed to protect public health during the pandemic, leading to a range of adverse consequences including NHS backlogs, mental health issues, and domestic violence. Lowe also highlights reported adverse reactions from vaccines and questions the MHRA's role in enforcing political agendas.

Opher defends the importance of vaccinations, arguing that they save more lives than they cause harm, citing personal experience running a local vaccination service during the pandemic. He also discusses over-prescription of antidepressants and calls for better regulation to support individuals weaning off medication safely.

Mohamed, with experience in pharmaceutical regulation, expresses concerns about the MHRA's capacity issues and the potential impact of Brexit on European cooperation. He highlights constituents' worries regarding food safety and long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, questioning whether proposed regulatory changes will compromise safety standards.

The MHRA failed its duty to protect women by protecting the manufacturer instead. The issue of Primodos was highlighted, where thousands of women and unborn children were exposed to risks widely acknowledged at the time. It is now imperative to reform the regulatory system and ensure compensation for affected families.

The MHRA's handling of Primodos was inadequate; it did not properly engage with victims, review all documents, or address conflicts of interest. There is a need to re-examine the expert working group’s report and consider Professor Carl Heneghan’s study which indicates a causal connection between Primodos and birth defects.

The MHRA's conflicts of interest due to funding from pharmaceutical companies undermine public trust. Brexit has caused significant confusion in the industry, delaying access to novel medicines. The MHRA should expand capacity and implement Cumberlege review recommendations for compensation and support. A mutual recognition agreement with EMA would streamline authorisation processes.

Welcomes the MHRA’s new chair, highlights updates to guidance, notes previous government achievements in patient safety and access, discusses balancing medical technology advances with market capture and clinical outcomes, raises concerns about system surveillance and resources, questions the effectiveness of the yellow card system, mentions online weight-loss injections adverts and their impact.

Congratulates the right hon. Member for Tatton on securing this debate, thanks contributors, acknowledges experiences shared by constituents, highlights MHRA's role in balancing product safety and innovation, mentions improvements like Safety Connect IT system, real-world data via CDRD, pilot with Genomics England, new regulations to strengthen monitoring of medical devices.

Acknowledges the debate on MHRA's role in safety and regulation, mentions contributions from fellow members highlighting specific issues.

Acknowledges the debate on MHRA's role in safety and regulation, mentions concerns about surveillance and resources, supports calls for better communication from MHRA.

The Minister emphasised the importance of trust and patient safety in the work of the MHRA. They highlighted ongoing improvements, such as increased engagement with patients, facilitating access to new medicines and medical devices, and implementing reforms like new point of care manufacturing legislation. The process for recruiting a new chief executive is underway, and there are plans to organise parliamentary events to build trust.

Ms McVey thanked contributors for their detailed accounts of constituents' experiences and reinforced the need for substantial MHRA reform. She cited concerns about patient safety, flaws in the Primodos report, issues with the yellow card system, and delayed responses to reports on myocarditis, pericarditis, and vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopaenia following covid-19 vaccinations.