Department of Health written question – answered at on 27 November 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about the prescription of oral medications for type 2 diabetes that carry an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.
Oral medications are widely used to control high blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, leading to reductions in long-term complications of diabetes such as heart and kidney disease. The risk of hypoglycaemia associated with these drugs is well-known and is evaluated in detail both at the time of marketing authorisation approval and in the post-marketing period.
The Patient Information Leaflet provided with all oral diabetes treatments contains advice on the risk of hypoglycaemia while driving. Patients are instructed to take appropriate precautions or to avoid driving completely if affected by hypoglycaemia.
In addition, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s ‘At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive’ (May 2014) provides detailed advice to healthcare professionals on the management of patients receiving oral diabetes therapies who wish to drive.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency keeps the safety of medicines under continual review and is in regular discussion on relevant issues with the DVLA and the Department for Transport, most recently regarding the development of public communications for the new offence of driving with certain drugs taken above specified limits, which is due to come into force in March 2015. The new offence mainly involves illegal drugs and those with sedative effects and does not include treatments for diabetes.
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