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MPs have called for the "lax" pharmaceutical regulatory regime to be overhauled, saying it has let the interests of the industry override public safety.

In a report this week, the health select committee says the adverse reactions caused by several drugs, such as the antidepressant Seroxat, have revealed fundamental flaws in the regulatory regime.

It calls for a wholesale review of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), saying it has grown too close to that industry and inadequately scrutinised clinical trials for Seroxat and other drugs.

It also calls for sponsorship of the industry to be transferred from the Department of Health to the Department of Trade and Industry, saying the DoH had let companies' interests override its responsibilities towards patients.

The report was welcomed by mental health charity Mind, whose chief executive Richard Brook resigned from an MHRA expert group last year because of the influence of drugs companies on the agency at the expense of public health.

Mind director of policy Sophie Corlett said: "The next government must put in place a drug regulation system that prioritises public safety."


The report also says the regulatory climate has allowed firms to suppress clinical trial results and aggressively promote drugs to prescribers, with GPs in particular overly influenced by the industry.

It calls for all clinical trial results to be put on an independent register before companies are given a licence to market drugs and for greater controls on promotional materials.

• Report from www.parliament.uk