§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities which currently make Aricept available on National Health Service prescription. [30782]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation about the prescribing of Aricept within the National Health Service is available only for prescriptions dispensed in the community in England. In many health authorities these will have been prescribed in hospitals. Data available show that prescriptions have been dispensed in 99 out of the 100 health authorities in England. However, I understand that many health authorities are reluctant to commit resources to the drug because published data currently suggest that it has limited clinical effectiveness.