Over 600 deaths a year are certified as being due to medicines sold over the counter, according to the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics.
In a House of Commons written reply on March 28, Mr Paul Flynn (Lab, Newport West) was told by the ONS director (Mr John Pullinger) that, in 1997, 562 death certificates had referred to paracetamol or paracetamol containing medicines as the underlying cause of death. A further 51 certificates had referred to aspirin and two to ibuprofen. The antidepressant dothiepin had been given as the cause of 235 deaths.
Mr Flynn had asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment there was of the number of deaths caused by paracetamol or co-proxamol, dothiepin, aspirin, ibuprofen and Benylin brands in each of the past five years. No deaths had been attributed to Benylin brands.
In a further question for written reply, Mr Flynn asked the Secretary of State for Health what proposals there were to reduce the number of deaths caused by painkillers.
Mrs Yvette Cooper (Minister for Public Health) told Mr Flynn that the effect of recently introduced restrictions on pack sizes was being monitored and that a European review of the need for strengthened warnings for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines was under way.