Written question asked by Julie Morgan (Labour) on Friday, 19 February 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 February 2010. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Thursday, 25 February 2010 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Tuberculosis: Drugs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what processes his Department has put in place to ensure that the supply of antituberculosis drugs in the UK is not interrupted.

Answer: We are not aware of any current shortages of antituberculosis medicines. Due to the complex nature of pharmaceutical production, medicines supply problems can unexpectedly arise for a number of reasons. The Department and the Pharmaceutical Industry have produced joint best practice guidelines which are designed to help minimise the impact of medicine shortages and discontinuations. The guidelines give advice to companies and encourage early exchange of information. This allows consideration of the options that are available to help ensure that patients continue to get the medicines they need.

Secondary information