HC Deb 29 July 1988 vol 138 cc798-9W
Mr. Rathbone

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money each regional health authority has spent in each of its districts for methadone treatment for each of the most recent five years for which figures are available.

Mrs. Currie

I regret that the information requested is not held centrally.

Mr. Rathbone

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what amount of methadone has been prescribed by general practitioners in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mrs. Currie

The number of prescriptions and the volumes of methadone dispensed by community pharmacists in England in each of the years 1983–1987 inclusive is as follows:

Methadone (thousands) England
Quantities dispensed
Year Number of prescriptions Tablets Mixture1(ml) Linctus2(ml) Injection (ampoules)
1983 105.9 1,443.0 10,064.9 6,713.0 502.6
1984 101.9 1,217.9 11,718.3 6,775.2 588.7
1985 128.6 1,048.6 17,328.8 5,538.4 398.1
1986 184.9 1,740.0 26,738.9 4,863.4 1,175.3
1987 243.5 1,875.2 50,408.3 3,865.2 1,525.8

Note:

These estimates are based on a sample of approximately 1 in 200 prescriptions dispensed in England by chemists and appliance contractors. Information on drugs dispensed in hospitals and by Dispensing doctors is not available.

1The mixture is 1mg/ml.

2The linctus is 2mg/5ml.