Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to make allergen-free drugs more widely available.

No medicine is free from side effects and the balance of risks and benefits of medicines are carefully assessed at the time of licensing. Warnings about known side effects, including allergic reactions, are included in the product information for healthcare professionals (the Summary of Product Characteristics) and the Patient Information leaflet which accompanies the medicine. Ingredients (excipients) of known effect are declared on the outer packaging of licensed medicines. Anyone with an allergy should make this known during their discussion about their treatment with their pharmacist or doctor.