Judge-led inquiry into pregnancy test Primodos 'not off the table'

A judge-led inquiry into hormone pregnancy tests blamed for causing serious birth defects is "not off the table", the Government has confirmed.

Health minister Steve Brine told MPs he had "ruled out no options" amid claims of a "whitewash" after a review of HPTs such as Primodos found available scientific evidence did not support a link between the drug and birth defects.

Mr Brine's comments came after Tory former minister Sir Mike Penning led a backbench debate calling for an "independent, judge-led" inquiry with the power to "subpoena and summons people before it on oath".

During the debate MPs questioned why the remit of the Commission on Human Medicine review was changed from establishing any possible relationship to establishing a causal link, which Sir Mike said was harder to prove.

Liberal Democrat former cabinet minister Sir Ed Davey produced documents discovered by Sky News in archives stored in Berlin.

They showed the manufacturer Schering had been warned by lawyers it should have done more to establish the safety of Primodos.

:: Primodos: Sky News exposes pregnancy drug cover-up

The Commons was told that the lawyer went on to say "there really should have been something done at that time to indicate some degree of concern...the chances are the company would be found to be in neglect of its duty".

The lawyer also warned that certain documents would be "dynamite in the hands of the claimants".

Mr Davey described this revelation as a "scandal", adding: "They knew".

He went on: "Why does this continue on? We've heard from all Honourable and Right Honourable gentlemen and ladies today of the cases of constituents up and down our country whose lives have been blighted by this - why continue any more?"

"I say to the minister: he has to stand up to the official briefings he's getting, he has to stand up to the nonsense of continued, continued, continued obfuscation, of cover-up."

Bayer, which now owns drug manufacturer Schering, told Sky News that their legal advice was from a QC who did not examine scientific evidence.

They also concur with the findings of last month's Government-commissioned report.

However, Mr Brine stressed to MPs that he had "inherited" the review and added: "It wasn't set up to look at those historical actions and whether it should or not is a matter of debate.

"The families were not treated with the respect and dignity that I would expect as the minister from a body that I am responsible for.

"I have made that very clear to them, I have asked them to report back to me."

Addressing calls from Sir Mike for an inquiry, Mr Brine said: "Nothing's off the table and I am listening."

Earlier in the debate Sir Mike said the review's independent expert, Nick Dobrik, was "gobsmacked" when both the Prime Minister and Mr Brine told MPs he fully endorsed the review's conclusions.

It was revealed by Sky News that Mr Dobrik does not support the conclusions.

Sir Mike told the Commons: "He categorically does not endorse the conclusions of this report, and it was fundamentally wrong for anybody to advise the Prime Minister or the minister that he did.

"He doesn't blame the Prime Minister. I don't think I'd blame the Prime Minister.

"As a minister, I know ministers on the other side of the benches, you take advice from your officials, you're told what the situation is, and in good faith the minister at the urgent question, and the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions, said that Nick did.

"So on behalf of Nick, who can't defend himself in this room, in this chamber, I would like whoever gave that advice to the ministers to formally apologise to Nick Dobrik."

Responding at the end of the debate, Mr Brine said: "I apologise if Mr Dobrik feels his name has been used inappropriately, that's the right thing to do. We thank him for his contribution."

The MHRA has told Sky News the report was an extremely thorough examination of the scientific evidence and conducted by independent experts.