Drug Companies: Medical Trials — Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:44 pm on 24 February 2014.

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Photo of Earl Howe Earl Howe The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health 2:44, 24 February 2014

My Lords, it is important to point out that the MHRA does not have evidence that there is systematic or large-scale withholding of data. However, it has investigated cases in the past where clinical trials and safety data were not properly reported. The Government believe that the proposals included in the new EU clinical trials regulation will, as I said, contribute to greater transparency in the area of clinical trials. It must be remembered that any company infringing even the current rules can lay itself open to some very severe penalties.