§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many addicts in England and Wales are maintained on prescribed(a) heroin and (b) methadone; and at what average annual cost for each of those prescriptions. [150727]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 26 January 2004]: There are approximately 450 drug misusers in England being maintained on prescribed heroin. The estimated annual cost per patient of maintaining a drug misuser on heroin is £12,000 per patient.
We do not have figures centrally on the numbers of drug misusers being maintained on methadone. The estimated annual cost per patient of maintaining a drug misuser on oral methadone is £3,000.