Medicine reaction 'kills thousands'

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The patients suffered allergic reactions to, or serious side-effects from, medicines which proved fatal, according to official figures.

More than 13,000 others needed long-term hospital treatment for the effects of their reaction, but survived.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb, who obtained the statistics through Parliament called for a "full investigation" of the problem.

He said: "This is a dangerously escalating problem, which is putting lives at risk and placing a big cost burden on the NHS.

"This situation will only get worse as the number of older people receiving a lot of medication increases in coming years.

"Doctors have a duty not to over-prescribe drugs, in a bid to meet government 'treatment targets' on long term conditions.

He said he had written to the Health Secretary Alan Johnson, to urge an inquiry.

Last year, 964 patients died because of suspected drug reactions, 203 after long term hospital treatment. In 2005, more than 1,000 patients died from similar suspected reasons. Some 861 died in 2004.

A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which monitors all suspected adverse drug reactions, said the number of ADR reports did not necessarily collate with the number of deaths.