§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when nicotine replacement patches will be available on NHS prescriptions in Scotland; and for what reasons they are not yet available on prescription through the NHS.
§ Mr. StewartOnly one nicotine patch has been prohibited from NHS prescription on the expert advice of the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances. The committee advised that the manufacturer had failed to demonstrate to it that nicotine patches had a significant therapeutic use in general medical practice in helping patients to stop smoking. Other, more recently introduced patches which have yet to be considered by the committee remain prescribable meantime but doctors who do so may have their prescribing challenged by their health board.