THE organisation responsible for ensuring medicines and medical devices work and are safe should be fully independent of the pharmaceutical industry should be set up, Newport West MP Paul Flynn has said.

The long-serving Labour MP spoke in a debate on the impact of anti-epilepsy drug Valproate, which has been found to cause developmental disorders and malformation in children when taken by pregnant women.

Mr Flynn said he was concerned the link between the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who assesses and approves medicine and medical devices, and the pharmaceutical industry made it more likely potentially dangerous medications could be approved for use.

Although the MHRA is an arms-length body of the Department for Health, it is funded by the pharmaceutical industry.

Mr Flynn said: "What we need is a regulatory body that is not paid for or controlled by the pharmaceutical industry but is independent and controlled nationally.

"Some years ago in Italy, the system changed. The pharmaceutical industry still pays for running the body, but for the past 20 years each Government have said that they would not have a fully independent body because they did not want to pay for it, although it was fine if the burden was taken by the pharmaceutical industry itself."

He added: "We must look to reform our regulatory system, appreciating the value of the drug but at least setting up a fund that can express the sorrow of the country and the regret that we have not sorted this matter out or given warnings to future parents."