Written question asked by Paul Flynn (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 November 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 December 1999. It was answered by Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Labour) on Thursday, 2 December 1999 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the possible adverse reactions to Prozac (Fluoixtine), including reported cases of depression and suicide.

Answer: Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the possible adverse reactions to Prozac (Fluoixtine), including reported cases of depression and suicide. [99940] Ms Stuart: As with all medicines the safety of Prozac is continually monitored by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the independent expert advisory body, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM). The possible association of suicidal thoughts and hostile behaviour with Prozac was reviewed by the MCA and CSM in 1990. The available evidence did not suggest an increased risk with Prozac. It is well known that suicidal ideation is associated with depression. Features of depression, including suicidal behaviour, can worsen after introduction of any anti- depressant prior to its beneficial effects being apparent and therefore reports of suicide attempts associated with Prozac are not unexpected. The Summary of Product Characteristics for Prozac warns that the possibility of a suicide attempt may persist until significant remission of depression occurs.

Secondary information