Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle withdrawal symptoms of people using steroid creams.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reviewed topical steroid withdrawal and issued advice to health care professionals of the risks of long-term treatment, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/topical-corticosteroids-information-on-the-risk-of-topical-steroid-withdrawal-reactions

Following this review, amendments are being made to patient information leaflets included in packs to add warnings regarding long term use and the development of topical steroid withdrawal. To support the safe clinical use of topical corticosteroids, the MHRA has also developed a safety leaflet, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/topical-corticosteroids-and-withdrawal-reactions

The MHRA continues to monitor this issue and will publish further advice as required.