asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the claims made for the efficacy of Enderlein serum in the treatment of Hodgkins disease, he will state whether this drug has been examined in this country; and, if so, with what result.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Treatment of Hodgkins Disease.
No application for the importation of the above serum for general distribution has been received and, accordingly, the necessity for an investigation of its strength, quality and purity in accordance with the requirements of the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1932, has not yet arisen. Small quantities of the serum have been imported into this country under certain provisions of the Act which enable registered medical practitioners to import consignments of a therapeutic substance for their own patients, but it should be understood that in such cases full responsibility for the use of any such substance rests with the medical practitioners concerned.
In view of recent Press reports regarding the use of this serum in some cases in this country certain inquiries were made by my Department but to date it has not been possible to obtain any independent authoritative opinions about this serum.
Would the Minister, when this information is available, be prepared to make a statement on the matter so that the public will know all about it?
Yes, I should like very much to do so, but we find it impossible to get any information with regard to this drug from any authority, here or elsewhere.