Groups formed by patients grievously and sometimes permanently harmed by medicines and medical devices — such as valproate-damaged babies, and women with complications of vaginal mesh and breast implants — have found a shocking lack of transparency over adverse effect data, and such low standards for device approval that serious risks to patients are inevitable. Now the Independent Medicines & Medical Devices Safety Review (the “Cumberlege Report”) is finally published, HealthWatch is hoping to see action on 5 demands that will show patients are being put before profit.
The Review, chaired by Baroness Julia Cumberlege, examined how the healthcare system has responded to concerns raised by patients and families about three medical interventions: the hormone pregnancy test Primodos, the anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate, and vaginal mesh. After being delayed as a result of COVID-19, the report was finally published on 8th July 2020.
Surgical mesh products are among over 500,000 different medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic devices on the market in the UK, produced by over 3,500 companies turning over around £22bn, employing 120,000 people and accounting for £5bn in exports annually. “Yet there is currently no comprehensive list of devices on the market, no way of identifying and tracking them, and no clear idea of how many patients are harmed,” says Dr Susan Bewley, HealthWatch’s chair. “The government is keen to protect business, but this should not come at the expense of patient safety.” HealthWatch has also supported efforts to get more transparency into the system because commercial secrecy can harm (or even kill) people. “Patients are entitled to know who’s paying their doctors and scientists when innovations are rushed to market without safe post-marketing monitoring systems”.
In November 2019 HealthWatch wrote a letter to Baroness Cumberlege to ask the Independent Medicines & Medical Devices Safety Review to demand that those who implant a device must know (and be able to explain to the patient):
In response, the Review team agreed to publish our letter and evidence on their website after the Review's publication.
Our 5 demands appear in a HealthWatch Strategy document resulting from discussions at the June 2019 HealthWatch medical symposium: Evidence, Healthcare and Medical Devices & Implants.
The Independent Medicines & Medical Devices Safety Review was announced in the House of Commons in February 2018 by Jeremy Hunt MP, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and was published at 11:30am on Wednesday 8 July 2020, see the IMMDS Review website.
Updated 28 July 2020
Today, Healthwatch publishes the report of its June symposium on devices — see below.
The committee now has to decide how to take this forward. We need the ‘many eyes’ and wisdom of our members to determine the strategy we can reasonably take forward.
The symposium was built on an excellent background paper commissioned from Till Brucker, and many congratulations are due to John Kirwan and team for steering and reporting on this pioneering event. It brought many diverse and expert stakeholders together to listen, think and talk about evidence and healthcare, innovations and risks, outcomes and regulation. Whether you attended or not, you will be stimulated and will learn a lot. At our next trustees meeting we will be pulling together a vision for the future and actions we (or others) can make.
Please do take the time to read the reports, maybe with a cup of tea, and then respond by Friday 6th September using the form below.
Thanks in advance.
Susan Bewley
Chair of Trustees
27 August 2019
Report from the HealthWatch Symposium 17th June 2019
Appendix 1 List of participants
Appendix 2 Full programme details
Appendix 3 Background paper -An overview of medical device governance in the UK by T Bruckner
Appendix 4 Slides from introductory talks
Appendix 5 Presentations to discussion groups and reporters notes
We would like your responses to the following:
Please provide your responses on this contact form.
Thank you for your help. We'll let you know what we've decided to do.