Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) launch a further review into and (b) consider the potential merits of (i) recognition and (ii) redress for people affected by the historic use of Primodos.

The Government is sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered because of using hormone pregnancy tests.

An Expert Working Group of the Independent Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) reviewed the available scientific evidence in 2017 and concluded that the evidence does not support a causal association between the use of hormone pregnancy tests during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Following a review of the more recent evidence, the CHM concluded in November 2024 that it does not provide any new scientific evidence demonstrating that the medicinal components of hormone pregnancy tests could disrupt a pregnancy.

It is not currently the Government’s intention to review the findings of the Expert Working Group, however we are committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which may come to light.

Because a causal link between hormone pregnancy tests and adverse outcomes in pregnancy has not been demonstrated, the previous administration did not ask the Patient Safety Commissioner to look at redress for hormone pregnancy tests as part of the Hughes Report.