There have been several media reports suggesting that the Home Secretary Priti Patel has asked the Advisory Council on the … read more

The European Court of Justice has ruled that judges are able to consider that vaccination may lead to the development of an illness, in the absence of scientific evidence. This ruling was made in relation to a case in France of a man claiming that a hepatitis B vaccination he received led to the development of multiple sclerosis. read more

The Home Secretary was said to be likely to ban the legal drug khat despite the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs finding insufficient evidence to suggest the herbal stimulant causes health problems. read more

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director, led a Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions. The Review Committee came to the SMC to announce their findings and recommendations to Government, and the SMC gathered further expert comment. read more

On 15 March 2013, Britain abstained in the EU vote on suspension of neonicotinoids. More recently a Defra assessment including new results from a study carried out by FERA has concluded that available evidence is not currently sufficient to warrant a change in the law on use of this class of insecticide. read more

Patients successfully lobbied the Italian government to allow an unproven stem cell therapy in public hospitals, overriding the Italian regulators. read more

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently carried out a public consultation on new IVF-based treatments to avoid mitochondrial disease, gathering a wide range of view about mitochondria replacement and whether it should be made available to patients in the UK. read more

Following a cyclists’ death from being struck by an official Olympics bus, gold medallist Bradley Wiggins was reported to have said he thought it should be compulsory under the law to wear a cycling helmet. read more

So called ‘legal highs’ have caught lawmakers on the hop because they are often created by altering illegal psychoactive molecules just enough to fall outside the law.
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The government announced the Draft Energy Bill, aiming to plug a looming energy gap with £110 billion of investment in nuclear and renewable energy over a decade, but avoiding a commitment to banish coal and gas by the 2030s. read more

The new EU Directive on animal research aims to harmonise animal welfare standards and regulations across the Union, and now the UK has to decide how to incorporate the Directive into UK law. With animal rights groups accusing the scientific community of diluting welfare standards, this background briefing gave leading figures from medical research institutions the chance to speak about what they are actually calling for and why. read more

The SMC held a background briefing on the transposition of a European Directive on animal research into UK law, and leading medical institutions provided additional comments. read more

A ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union stated that research processes involving stem cells produced from human embryos cannot be patented. read more

Efforts have been made to ‘harmonise’ the EU directive on animal protection after criticisms. read more

The European Parliament reviewed and voted on the EU Directive designed to clarify regulation of animal research. read more

New research from the University of Bath examines the impact of smokefree legislation on rates of hospital admissions for heart attacks in England. read more

I can’t believe that I missed the drama at the Royal Institution a couple of weeks ago. While it was nice to … read more

Following Simon Singh’s victory in the latest round of his libel defence on 1 April, the British Chiropractic Association has announced that it is dropping its action against him. read more

Simon Singh has won the latest round of his libel case against the British Chiropractic Association (BCA), which began around two years ago when he was sued by the BCA for comments he made about the evidence basis for chiropractic treatments. read more

Simon Singh came to the SMC to update journalists on his case with the British Chiropractic Association, which is suing him for libel, and whether he plans to appeal against the latest ruling. read more