Jessica Toale MP is calling for urgent action to support families harmed by a once-common anti-miscarriage drug.
The Bournemouth West MP has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting with support from 36 cross-party MPs. The letter urges the government to apologise and improve NHS support for those affected by Diethylstilbestrol, known as DES.
Prescribed to hundreds of thousands of women between 1939 and 1978, DES has been linked to breast, cervical and vaginal cancers, as well as fertility issues in the daughters and granddaughters of those given the drug.
Jessica Toale took up the issue after meeting Bournemouth constituent Jan Hall.
Jan’s mother died of breast cancer aged 32 after being prescribed DES. Jan developed cervical cancer in her twenties, and her daughters have experienced serious gynaecological issues.
MPs are calling for a formal apology, better screening, professional training, new research and a system to help identify those at risk. Despite the drug being banned abroad, it remained in use on the NHS for several years after.
Other countries, including Australia, have introduced support schemes for those affected. Campaigners say families in the UK deserve the same.