Overview
- More than 300 people have formed DES Justice UK to press for a statutory inquiry, a redress scheme and targeted screening for those exposed.
- The MHRA acknowledged that a 1973 Committee on Medicines Safety letter alerted doctors to US cancer findings but did not ban DES use in pregnancy, and it issued an apology.
- The Department of Health and Social Care said the Health Secretary has asked NHS England to ensure GPs follow guidance so eligible patients receive additional screening.
- Around 300,000 women in the UK were prescribed DES from the 1940s to the 1970s, with in‑utero exposure linked since 1971 to clear‑cell adenocarcinoma, other cancers and reproductive abnormalities.
- Compensation schemes operate in countries such as the United States and the Netherlands, yet no UK compensation scheme exists.