Andy Burnham accuses Government of ‘bullying’ in court battle

The Manchester mayor accused the government of “using its might” to “silence” disabled campaigners.

19 June 2022

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has accused the government of “using its might” to “bully” and “silence” disabled campaigners in the courts.

People allegedly damaged by the drug Primodos are in a high court battle with both the UK government and the German pharmaceutical company Bayer.

Campaigners say that both the company and the UK regulators were aware of the potential risk of the pregnancy test drug to deform babies in the womb.

Mr Burnham is calling on the government to drop the case and “compensate them for the damage they have suffered”.

The drug was heavily prescribed in the north-west, and Mr Burnham has offered his support to the campaigners.

He told Sky News: “It’s barely believable that the government are, I would say, bullying the victims of a terrible medical negligence case in the court. How can that be right?

“The government and the pharmaceutical company are using their combined might to silence the victims. It is utterly wrong. And it renders the apology given by the former health secretary in 2020 utterly meaningless.”

Mr Burnham, who is a former health secretary, added: “I want to make a direct plea to the current health secretary, someone I have a good deal of regard for: please listen to these victims.

“The government should not be in court bullying people who have been damaged in this way – you should be supporting them.

“So Sajid Javid, please drop this legal action, apologise again, and compensate them for the damage they have suffered.”

Read the full Sky News article here

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6 responses to “Andy Burnham accuses Government of ‘bullying’ in court battle”

3 January 2023

Terry hughes

Great news that Andy Burnham is on our side.we will never give up till it is resolved and we are compensated .x

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7 January 2023

Jan Crawley

Nothing can undo the damage caused by Primodos, but the parents of children damaged by those pills need justice. I lost one of my sons but there are elderly parents of children that survived, damaged and needing care. Justice for wrong doing should not be the privilege of those who can afford it but those who deserve it, the children damged by hormone pregnancy tests.

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12 January 2023

Diane Surmon

Well said Andy Burnham my daughter Helen is one of the children damaged by Primodos she has been in care since she was 15yrs old she is now 48yrs old the reason she went into care was because I needed spinal surgery and they refused to operate unless Helen went into care. Helen has learning difficulties epilepsy she also had Spinal surgery at 16yrs she wears bilateral calipers she needs a wheelchair to go out and about. Helen understands what is being said but has difficulty communicating., she has Agenisis of Corpus Collosum she was blind until she was 6months old,she is also hydrocephalus but has never needed a shunt. At present Hen is waiting for surgery as she has an aneurysm around her gall bladder and polyps in her stomach they are going to remove the gallbladder and the aneurysm she has been through so much already she had to have a total hysterectomy at 34yrs old because she had a twisted ovarian cyst, Helen also has a deep pain threshold. I would like to thank you Andy for all your support you are giving us as parents we are getting older and would like to think our children would get some justice for what has happened to them through no fault of there’s

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12 January 2023

Barbara Manning

Thank you Andy for your support. I trusted my family Doctor when she gave me these pills in 1974. My baby daughter was stillborn nearly 9 months later in 1975 sadly, with most of her brain missing. I’ve had 3 healthy babies, now healthy adults. Confirmation of my pregnancies on 3 of my babies were just by the simple Urine test. But, when I digested these two horrific pregnancy testing pills, Primodos, I left hospital with empty arms, and I had to organise my babies funeral. I don’t have to be a Doctor/Professor to know without a doubt my stillborn horrifically damaged in the womb, baby daughter was the result to taking these pills. 3 healthy babies by just a simple urine test. But when I took Primodos as a pregnancy testing pill, the heartbreaking result was my stillborn daughter. Let this Government hang their heads in shame for continuing to push aside the heartbreak and years of suffering for all the families who innocently accepted these pills from their family Doctors resulting in miscarriages, stillbirths, deaths young, or severely disabled as older adults. , handed over in their surgery, rarely on Prescription
The big Pharma who produced these heartbreaking pills finally need held accountable, as health of unborn babies should not ever have come second to profit.
Barbara manning
We will Never Give up fighting.

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21 March 2023

Anne Darracott

Thank you Andy Burnham for your support.

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18 August 2023

Celia Joy Chasey

Thank you for your support. My son was born in 1971 . He has numerous difficulties but an amazing strength. I have been campaigning for 50 years now but will not give up. This complete disregard of us by the government is appalling and it’s time they acknowledged the pain and disability that was inflicted on the children of the mothers who were given Primodos. No prescription no safety.

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