1980 No. 263
MEDICINES

The Medicines (Chloroform Prohibition) Amendment Order 1980

Made
Laid before Parliament
Coming into Operation
The Secretaries of State respectively concerned with health in England, in Wales and in Scotland and the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland, acting jointly, in exercise of powers conferred by sections 62 and 129(4) of the Medicines Act 1968 and now vested in them1 and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, it appearing to them to be necessary in the interests of safety to prohibit, subject to specific exceptions, the sale or supply of medicinal products which are for human use and which consist of or contain chloroform, after consulting such organisations as appear to them to be representative of interests likely to be substantially affected by the Order, and after consulting and taking into account the advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines2, and after taking into account the report of the Medicines Commission made under section 62(5) of that Act, hereby make the following Order:—

Citation, interpretation and commencement1.

This Order, which amends the Medicines (Chloroform Prohibition) Order 1979 (hereinafter called the “principal Order”), may be cited as the Medicines (Chloroform Prohibition) Amendment Order 1980, and shall come into operation on 28th March 1980.

Amendment of the principal Order2.

After Article 4 of the principal Order there shall be added the following additional Article—

“Additional transitional provision5.

The prohibition imposed by Article 2 shall not operate until 1st January 1981 in the case of toothpaste containing chloroform in a proportion of not more than 4 per cent., calculated in terms of weight in weight (w/w) or volume in volume (v/v), as appropriate”.

Patrick Jenkin
Secretary of State for Social Services
Nicholas Edwards
Secretary of State for Wales
George Younger
Secretary of State for Scotland

Sealed with the official seal of the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland this 29th day of February 1980.

N. Dugdale
Permanent Secretary
EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order amends the Medicines (Chloroform Prohibition) Order 1979. It provides an additional transitional provision to enable wholesale dealing in medicinal products which are toothpastes, and which contain not more than 4 per cent. of chloroform, up to and including 31st December 1980. The Order is made for the purpose of implementing Council Directive 79/661/EEC relating to Cosmetic Products.