Department of Health
MEDICINES CONTROL AGENCY
Market Towers 1 Nine Elms Lane London SW8 5NQ
Telephone 0171-273 0270
Facsimile 0171- 273 0293
	13 February 1998

Dear Mr Medawar,

PAROXETINE (SEROXAT): REQUEST FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE CODE OF PRACTICE ON ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

Thank you for your further letter of 27 January. I am sorry my previous letter was inadvertently addressed wrongly. I am glad it reached you safely and hope this caused you no inconvenience.

As requested I enclose a copy of our letter (without its enclosure) of 7 November to SmithKline Beecham relaying the details of your request for information.

You say that my previous letter implied that we wrote to the company at your request. This is not the case. In administering the Code of Practice, it is our policy to check that third party confidential information remains confidential. The Guidance on the Code sent with my previous letter gives further advice on this - please see in particular sections 13.15 - 13.20 at pages 69/70 and, more generally, the guidance on exemption 14 at pages 71-74. MCA therefore wrote to the company regarding your request for information on clinical trials provided to the MCA in confidence by the company.

Yours sincerely   

CLICK HERE TO READ ON(or here to see the attached letter from MCA to SmithKline Beecham

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