The House returned for two weeks in September, between Summer Recess and the break we take for the party conferences.
During these two weeks I took part in several debates, but two in particular that were very important to me.
The first one up was on the disastrous Primodos hormone pregnancy test. The Primodos drug was given by drug companies to GPs to be used as a test for pregnancy in the 60s and 70s. It worked by inducing menstruation and the subsequent presence or absence of menstrual bleeding was then used to determine pregnancy. The problem is that it was a very strong drug and it was a highly invasive procedure. There is clear evidence to suggest it caused damage to the foetus in some women who were pregnant.
The Government commissioned an Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review which recommended that a redress fund is set up for families affected, but the Government is dragging its feet. This fund must be set up and soon. Mistakes were made and we need to put them right.
The second debate was about fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP for short). I have written here before about 2-year-old Lexi Robins who has FOP. FOP is an ultra-rare condition caused by a mutation in the gene responsible for regulating the growth of bone. In people with FOP, this mutation causes the body to convert muscles and other connective tissue to bone. This leads to the formation of bridges of extra bone across the joints, progressively restricting movement, and finally forming a second skeleton that imprisons the body in bone constricting other vital organs. There is no cure.
Research is taking place at Oxford University, but money is running out. We desperately need more funding to enable drug testing to take place and to extend the trials to children. The Horizon deal, which enables UK scientists to participate in Europe’s premier funding programme for research and innovation, is a big win in this area and offers real hope.
The upshot of the debate is that I will have a joint meeting with Health and Science Ministers to find a way forward. We cannot let the research grind to a halt through lack of funding – it would be a waste of all the money already spent and devastating for the families.
Contact Mike:
Web: www.penning4hemel.com
Email: mike.penning.mp@parliament.uk
Telephone: 01442 251126
