asked the Minister for Health if he has yet concluded his inquiries about the alleged mislabelling of drugs to which he referred in the reply to Question No. 30 on 14th December, 1967.
74.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Supply of Drugs.
73.
asked the Minister for Health if any health authority is purchasing or has recently purchased drugs from Intercontinental Pharmaceuticals.
75.
asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a report that the British Ministry of Health have issued a directive against the use of drugs manufactured by Intercontinental Pharmaceuticals; and if a similar directive has been issued by his Department.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74 and 75 together.
I have been unable to conclude the inquiries referred to by Deputy Sweetman as the firm in question have failed to furnish replies to my specific inquiries.
I have seen the recent report that the Minister of Health in Britain has issued a warning to doctors, pharmacists and hospitals in Britain not to use any preparations marketed in that country by the firm until confirmation has been received of the approval of the British Committee on Safety of Drugs. The National Drugs Advisory Board are in communication with the firm regarding the marketing of their products in this country and it would not be appropriate for me to issue a general statement regarding the use of the company's products, as issued in Britain, while the Board's inquiries are proceeding.
As I stated in replies to previous questions, I wrote to all health authorities on the 6th November, 1967, advising them against the use in the health services of this firm's products.
I have no reason to believe that any health authority is purchasing or has recently purchased drugs from the firm.
I wrote to the firm on the 16th October, 1968, requesting that facilities be granted to officers of my Department to visit the company's premises at an early date and obtain relevant information regarding the company's business activities. I am awaiting the company's response to my request.
Would the Minister say what was the date?
16th October.
This year?
Yes.
May I take it from what the Minister has said that the British Ministry of Health asked doctors, pharmacists and others not to use these drugs until they heard from this company—until there was confirmation from this company about their drugs? May I take it that is what the Minister said? The British Ministry advised doctors and pharmacists not to use this company's drugs until they heard from the company.
From the Board.
From the Board.
Is the Minister aware that this company ignored all requests from the British Ministry about this? They ignored all requests to supply information regarding the drugs. Is the Minister also aware that they refused to answer him over a year ago? Will the Minister agree that he has no powers to deal with it?
The situation is that the British Ministry advised the appropriate authorities through the Committee on Safety of Drugs and passed on the request to the doctors and pharmacists and so on——
May I ask the Minister what report that is?
The print is so small that it is almost impossible to read. It is from the Board to the Minister of Health:
The Committee is greatly concerned to have to report that a number of drugs have apparently recently been marketed in this country, without its approval, by ICP (Ireland) Limited, of 7, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, 2. Full details of the range of the drugs concerned are not available as no submission on any preparation has ever been received from this company. The Committee has reason to believe, however, that preparations marketed by this company include anti-biotics and preparations described as Amitriptyline, Methyldopa, Diazepam and Chlordiozepoxide, but the list may in fact be longer than this.
The Committee recommends to the Minister that doctors and pharmacists should be advised as a matter of urgency that, as no submission on any preparation has been received, the Committee are unable to pass an opinion on the safety for use of any preparation currently being marketed by this Company.
I expect that I will get a similar communication from the National Drugs Advisory Board and I will forthwith issue a similar request to doctors and pharmacists. At the moment I do not feel I should do it without that recommendation.
Is the Minister aware that, in 1965, the Minister for Health made a statement in the Dáil to the effect that drugs which were manufactured and marketed by this company were found to be substandard, and he advised that no further drugs from this company should be purchased by any local authority? Is the Minister further aware that, despite that advice given by the Minister, in 1966 £14,600 worth of drugs were purchased from this company by the Dublin Health Authority alone?
Since I issued a directive last year to the health authorities, as the Minister for Industry and Commerce pointed out yesterday, no significant purchases have been made by any health authority. The purchases amounted to a matter of pounds.
£876.
No. The Minister for Industry and Commerce said it was about £40, but it was under £30.
Would it not be appropriate for the reputation of this country to make it quite clear that these gentlemen operate not only from Dublin but from other centres—from the Channel Islands and elsewhere on the Continent? They are an international conspiracy for the sale of defective drugs. The fact that they have an office in Fitzwilliam Street does not make them an Irish company. They are using a variety of sites for the prosecution of this nefarious traffic.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that the drugs about which complaints were made in Britain were manufactured in this country.
The containers say "ICP (Ireland)".
That is the only connection with us.
Is it not also a fact that they started this racket here—and that is the only word I can use—and as a result of publicity we drove them out from here?
As the Minister for Industry and Commerce said, there is no evidence that they were manufactured here.
They were distributed with an Irish label.
I could not agree more with what Deputy Dillon states. It is an international racket here, in the Channel Islands, and other places. My only fear is that I might leave myself legally open if I were, myself, to issue at this stage a directive to pharmacists and doctors——
The publicity here will do a lot of good. Is the Minister or the Department in a position to ensure that the people concerned in this cannot engage under any other name in the manufacture of substand-and drugs, and so on, in Ireland?
We shall be taking our own precautions.
We should inquire whether there will be any connection with any company incorporated here.
Is it possible to determine whether their drugs are being exported from this country? Surely it should be possible to know?
They are slippery customers.
(South Tipperary): Does the Minister take cognisance of the report by the committee to his counterpart in Britain on all aspects in relation to drugs?
Oh, yes.