§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if(a) L-Threonine and (b) branch chain amino acids are available for the treatment of motor neurone disease in the National Health Service; and how many people in Wales suffer from motor neurone disease.
§ Mr. GristUnder National Health Service regulations medical practitioners have freedom to prescribe whatever644W drugs are considered to be clinically necessary for the treatment of their patients except those items which are included under the selected list scheme. Foods and food supplements are not normally prescribable and branch chain amino acids, which include L-Threonine, are more properly classified as foods. Doctors can, however, prescribe food supplements where these are, in their clinical judgment, necessary for the treatment of patients, but they may be required to justify their prescribing to the district medical committee.
Exact information on how many people suffer from motor neurone disease is not held centrally.