(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Health what steps are taken to ensure the potency and reliability of imported or home produced therapeutic substances.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Therapeutic Substances.
15.
I presume the Deputy is referring to therapeutic substances in the general sense and not merely to the particular classes of therapeutic substances to which the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1932, applies.
Standard formulae are laid down in the British Pharmacopoeia and the British Pharmaceutical Codex for a wide range of medical preparations: these formulae apply in this country and preparations offered for sale must conform to these standards.
Samples of medical preparations which are on sale to the public are taken from time to time by Inspectors appointed under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts and such samples are submitted to the Public Analyst for analysis. Furthermore, any member of the public who is prepared to pay the prescribed fee may submit a medical preparation to a Public Analyst for analysis.
Special steps have been taken to test samples of medical preparations made available by approved suppliers for the health services.
In addition to the general provisions under the Pharmacopoeia Act and the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, special provisions in regard to certain categories of medical preparations are contained in the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1932, and the Regulations made thereunder. These provisions are referred to in a reply to a separate question by the Deputy which is being answered to-day.
The general question of the quality of medical preparations used in the health services, and by the general public, is under active consideration in my Department and I am at present considering certain further steps to provide additional safeguards in this respect.
Has the Minister received any complaints as to the unreliability of the specifications of certain drugs furnished to the medical profession? If he has not received such complaints, would he consider addressing an inquiry to the Irish Medical Association as to whether such complaints have reached them?
First of all, I had better reply to the latter part of the question. Would the Deputy not consider it unreasonable that a Minister should be expected to go to any association or organisation and ask them whether they have any complaints in relation to a matter in which they may be specially interested, complaints which, no doubt, if they had received them, they would have passed on to the Minister? With regard to the first part of the supplementary question asking if I had received complaints, the answer is: yes, I received complaints some years ago. I did not receive them regularly, and latterly I have not received any — at least none was addressed to me personally as Minister. I suggest the Deputy might be good enough to put down a question and I will give him fuller information.