Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency plans to update its public communications strategy to increase the reporting of adverse reactions to medical supplements.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicines, for human use, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom.

If a “medical supplement” was covered by the definition of a medicinal product as set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, or the definition of a medical device under Medical Devices Regulations, it would fall under the remit of the MHRA and would be subject to the relevant regulatory requirements. Food supplements are regulated by the Food Standards Agency.

Ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the Yellow Card scheme will enhance public understanding of the scheme’s remit and the range of healthcare products it covers, including the reporting of suspected side effects associated with herbal and/or homeopathic medicines, as set out in existing information and general awareness materials available on the Yellow Card scheme website.