Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of using historic medical records to (a) identify and (b) contact people who may have been exposed to diethylstilbestrol.

We recognise the consequences for those who were exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) and offer our sincere sympathies to those who continue to be affected.

There have been no discussions between the Department and patient advocacy groups representing people affected by exposure to DES. However, we will consider what more can be done to improve the situation for these individuals.

The Department has not assessed the feasibility of using historic medical records to identify and contact people who may have been exposed to DES. In the 1970’s, medicines vigilance was only in its infancy and there were no electronic records or systematic monitoring of prescriptions. There has been a step change in reporting and record-keeping since this time, and today’s regulatory frameworks are significantly different with much stricter post-authorisation monitoring, allowing for earlier identification and action on emerging safety issues. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines supplied in the United Kingdom and its activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle.