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Letter
Drug safety
Saturday May 10,
2003
The Guardian
Mind is critical
of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for failing in
its duty fully to investigate the extent to which people experience side
effects from Seroxat, including suicides that bereaved relatives believe
are directly linked to the drug (GPs accused, May 9). For eight years Mind
has campaigned for consumer reporting of side effects to psychiatric
drugs. The MHRA is extending the yellow card scheme to the public through
NHS Direct, but this is still too little too late. Whenever Mind campaigns
on the safety of drugs, and the right for patients to be given full and
unbiased information on the potential side effects, we are criticised by
some groups who say we are scare-mongering. Why should we, and programme
makers like Panorama, be silenced, when there is a real issue of public
safety at the heart of our concerns? Millions of pounds are spent
advertising psychiatric drugs, but who has the money to balance these
messages? Panorama has given us, and the many people who have experienced
horrific side effects or lost a loved one, the opportunity to get this
issue the attention it deserves. We understand that many people say they
find Seroxat beneficial, so we are not calling for an all-out ban. We are
calling on the MHRA to stop doctors prescribing it to new patients until
they undertake a full and independent review that includes the experiences
of people taking it.
Richard Brook
Chief Executive, Mind
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