Victims of cancer-linked pregnancy drug to demand public inquiry into ‘silent scandal’
Victims to call for inquiry into ‘scandal’ of cancer-linked pregnancy drug
- Victims of diethylstilbestrol (DES), a cancer-linked pregnancy drug, are scheduled to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Monday.
- The campaign group DES Justice UK (DJUK) is pushing for a public inquiry into what they term a “silent scandal” and the creation of an NHS screening programme.
- DES, prescribed to approximately 300,000 women from the 1940s to the 1970s, has been linked to infertility, reproductive abnormalities, and increased cancer risks in those exposed and their descendants.
- Mr Streeting previously apologised to victims, stating the “state got it wrong,” and urged those affected to consult their GP.
- Campaigners are demanding a statutory public inquiry and a compensation scheme, noting that similar schemes exist in the US and Netherlands but not in the UK.
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