SEROXAT

Early day motion 1736, tabled 15 October 2002 by Parmjit Dhanda (Labour). Signed by 63 members.

That this House is deeply concerned about the effects of the anti-depressant drug Seroxat; notes that the World Health Organisation puts the drug at the top of its league table of drugs that have difficulties of withdrawal and that over 1,000 Seroxat users in the United Kingdom are taking legal action against the manufacturer, Glaxo SmithKline, after finding that the drug can lead to dependency and result in severe withdrawal symptons including muscle spasms, insomnia, anxiety and depression and, in some cases, aggression and violence; is further concerned that the labelling of the drug does not mention the difficulties of withdrawal and that such symptons are often misdiagnosed by doctors as a relapse into depression; further notes that the manufacturer has already been forced to drop adverts for the drug in the United States of America after a court ruled that they could be misleading; and calls upon the Department of Health to look into the labelling and availability of the drug.

Signatures by party: Labour 44, Liberal Democrat 9, Labour/Co-operative 4, Conservative 2, UUP 2, DUP 1, Plaid Cymru 1.