Drug regulator criticised for error in reporting consultation results

The UK consumers' association Which? has called for a review of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after the organisation admitted that it had made an “administrative error” in reporting results of a public consultation on the availability of the over the counter statin Zocor Heart-Pro (simvastatin).

The agency held a public consultation last year on whether the cholesterol lowering drug should be available from pharmacies without a prescription. A report by the Committee on Safety of Medicines was made available for consultation and 100 pharmaceutical groups; medical colleges; and organisations, patient groups, industry representatives, and members of the public replied. In May 2004, the MHRA reported on its website that “about two thirds of respondents were in …