Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions clinical bodies have had with his Department on the potential connection between heartburn drugs and early death.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom and seeks independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines on important new safety issues. The MHRA is aware of a recently published United States study which reported that use of particular types of gastrointestinal (GI) drug known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were associated with an increased risk of death when compared with use of other types of GI medication known as H2 receptor blockers.

As with all medicines, all new evidence on the safety of PPIs is kept under close review and this latest study will be carefully considered and any new advice for healthcare professionals or patients will be communicated.

There have not been any discussions by MHRA with clinical bodies on this issue.

PPIs are effective medicines in treating and preventing stomach ulcers and other GI disorders, and any patients on a PPI should continue their treatment as recommended by their healthcare professional.