Member

It has been suggested in previous debates that the necessary evidence already exists in other jurisdictions and that the drugs are already licensed and available in the UK, merely lacking authorisation for this particular indication, but this is simply not true. For example, the barbiturates used in Australia—phenobarbital, usually—are not licensed or available for human use in the United Kingdom. The drug regimen referenced in the Government’s impact assessment is based on an experimental combination of five different drugs that has emerged in certain jurisdictions after the original barbiturate-based protocols became difficult to obtain. This combination of drugs was introduced largely out of necessity rather than through a formal programme of drug development. The available data regarding its efficacy, the pharmacokinetics and the safety remain limited. Reports from these jurisdictions describe significant adverse effects, including prolonged dying and even not dying. Practically speaking, there are no drugs that are both available and licensed in the United Kingdom for the purpose of assisted dying. If such lethal substances are to be introduced, they would need to be subject to the same evidential standards and regulatory scrutiny that apply to any other drug intended for use in patients.