Written question asked by Lord Morris of Manchester (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour) on Thursday, 22 January 2009.

Gulf War: NAPS Tablets

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 9 October 2003 (WA 67–78), whether the Committee on the Safety of Medicines (CSM) was consulted or at any time involved in the decision not to include any restriction on co-administration in the instructions for the use of the nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets, each containing pyridostigmine bromide, used for troops deployed to the 1990–91 Gulf conflict; and whether they will now ask the CSM's successor, the Commission on Human Medicine, to review that decision further to the findings of the congressionally-mandated United States Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses published on 17 November 2008.

Answer: Details about the medical countermeasures used to protect British forces against nerve agents during the 1990-91 Gulf conflict were set out in the MoD document Background to the use of Medical Countermeasures to protect British Forces during the Gulf War (Operation GRANBY) published in October 1997, which is available in the Library of the House. The document sets out the background to the chemical and biological threats at the time and what the UK Government did to protect British forces. In relation to the use of nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets and the Committee on Safety of Medicines, it is necessary to research our records on the issue further prior to providing my noble friend with a substantive reply. I will write to my noble friend when I am in a position to do so and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 530; 706 c221-2WA
Session: 2008-09
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP2009-2191
Friday, 24 July 2009
Deposited papers
House of Lords; Bach, Lord
Thursday, 9 October 2003
Written questions
House of Lords; Gulf War: NAPS Tablets
Monday, 23 February 2009
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Armed forces Chemical weapons Health hazards Iraq-Kuwait conflict Safety Vaccination Gulf War syndrome Pyridostigmine bromide Committee on Safety of Medicines US Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk