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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps have been taken to ensure that the botox which is used for cosmetic purposes in the UK has been safety-tested; and if he will make a statement; [216114] (2) if he will ban the (a) prescribing and (b) use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes. [216464] Ms Rosie Winterton: The uses approved for licensed botulinum products are limited to the treatment of certain kinds of muscular spasms and disabling spasticities. For those uses we are satisfied that the products meet all of the safety requirements laid down in European legislation and guidance and these together with standards for quality and efficacy are a prerequisite for the licensing of medicinal products. If these products are being used for cosmetic purposes then they are being used outside the terms of the product licenses the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted. However, doctors may prescribe and use a licensed medicine for unlicensed purposes to meet the need of an individual patient, on their own responsibility, where they judge the benefit to the patient is justified. The Chief Medical Officer established the Expert Group on the Regulation of Cosmetic Surgery to provide advice on whether the current regulation of cosmetic surgery was sufficient to ensure patient safety. The expert group published its report on 28 January 2005. It recommended that the current law relating to the prescription of botulinum toxin--which allows for its prescription by a doctor and its administration by a doctor or nurses--should be more consistently adhered to, and that facilities where botulinum toxin is injected should be licensed by the Healthcare Commission and subject to its regulations. The Government accept these recommendations, and will work with the Healthcare Commission, professional bodies and other key stakeholders to formulate an implementation programme.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

431 c1901W;431 c1894W; 216114;216464

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Cosmetics Licensing Medical treatments Plastic surgery Safety Testing Skin

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk