Freedom of Information request on antidepressant use and suicidal ideation (FOI 21/1166)
Published 26 May 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-8-november-2021/freedom-of-information-request-on-antidepressant-use-and-suicidal-ideation-foi-211166
FOI 21/1166
9th November 2021
Dear,
Thank you for your emails dated 27th October 2021, in which you requested information relating to antidepressant use and suicidal ideation.
Yellow Card data for drugs is routinely published on the Yellow Card website as interactive Drug Analysis Profiles (iDAPs). It is possible to look up number of reports of suicide by drug using the link below:
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/iDAP/
The MHRA endeavours to follow up all Yellow Card reports relating to adverse events of special interest or those associated with fatal outcomes as soon as possible following receipt of a Yellow Card. Although we hold information on whether a Yellow Card report has been followed up, this information is not readily available and would fall under Section 12 of the FOI Act. We consider that extracting the number of reports that have been followed up will take longer than 24 working hours to complete.
Section 12 of the Act allows public authorities to refuse requests where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for central government is set at £600. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 24 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
If your request can be restricted, for example to your first question alone, then we will be happy to reconsider your FOI request and provide you with this information.
I hope the information provided is helpful; however, if you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of this response; and can be addressed to this email address.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Team,
Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division