Latest News
Andy Burnham raises Primodos in first Commons speech after returning to Parliament
Long-time supporter of Primodos families Andy Burnham used his first Commons speech since returning to Parliament as the MP for Makerfield to place the campaign firmly on the parliamentary record. Speaking during the final stages of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, he told the House: “We think tonight of the Primodos families, who have fought so hard for fairness.” Five days later, Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
His support for the campaign stretches back more than a decade. He first met Marie Lyon in 2013 to discuss the Primodos case and advise on the next steps for taking the campaign forward. During the June 2026 Makerfield by-election campaign, Andy met Marie again; in a social media video recorded with her, he pledged that, if elected as her MP, he would continue to support Marie and the families in their fight for fairness and justice.
His decision to raise Primodos in his first speech after returning to Parliament was a powerful reaffirmation of that commitment. The APPG looks forward to working with the Prime Minister to turn those words into the recognition, redress and justice that families have waited decades to receive.
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APPG welcomes Dr Louise Newson for discussion on hormones, women’s health and patient safety
The APPG held its Annual General Meeting in Parliament, chaired by Yasmin Qureshi MP, with an update on the campaign and recent scientific developments. Members and Primodos families were joined by Dr Louise Newson, GP, hormone specialist and founder of Newson Health, for a wide-ranging discussion on hormones, women’s health and patient safety, and what Primodos means for the wider history of women’s experiences of hormonal medicines.
Our work on the Hillsborough Law
The APPG has been closely engaged with the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law. Yasmin Qureshi MP tabled an amendment so its Duty of Candour and Duty to Assist Investigations would automatically apply to any independent panel or review established by a Minister, ensuring a future Primodos panel would carry the same statutory protections as other investigations. The Government has indicated such a panel would be covered, and the APPG is pressing for written confirmation.
The scientist who wasn’t there: fraud at the heart of the Primodos scandal
A new memoir by Joanne Briggs, The Scientist Who Wasn’t There, reveals that her father, Professor Michael Briggs, fabricated his qualifications and scientific research throughout his career. Briggs was Schering’s UK research director when Primodos safety concerns first emerged, and was later retained as the company’s expert witness when affected families sought compensation. The 2017 Expert Working Group considered 28 animal studies supplied by Schering, some dating from Briggs’s tenure; the APPG is calling for an independent forensic audit of all 28 studies and full disclosure of any involvement Briggs had in producing, commissioning or influencing them.
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New scientific review concludes hormone pregnancy tests were teratogenic
A peer-reviewed review by Professor Bengt R. Danielsson (Karolinska Institute) and Associate Professor Helen E. Ritchie (University of Sydney), published in Birth Defects Research, concludes that hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos meet established criteria to be characterised as a human teratogen. Assessed against the same eight criteria used to recognise misoprostol as a teratogen, the review identifies a consistent pattern of malformations, including limb reduction and neural tube defects and abnormalities of the heart and major blood vessels, and proposes a hypoxia and vascular disruption mechanism. The APPG says the findings challenge the 2017 Expert Working Group’s conclusions and is pressing the Government, the Commission on Human Medicines and the MHRA to respond.
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