§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been prescribed Provigil and similar drugs in each of the last six years; what quantities of drugs have been dispensed; and for what reasons. [187496]
§ Mr. CaplinProvigil may be prescribed within the Defence Medical Services for legitimate clinical reasons in the same manner as it would be used by the NHS. It is prescribed for the treatment of specific sleep disorders including narcolepsy. Information is not held centrally about the number of Service personnel who have been prescribed Provigil nor the quantities prescribed. However, the quantities purchased by the Medical Supplies Agency between 1999 and 2004 (21,600 tablets) would be consistent with the treatment, through Service primary care facilities, of three to five patients per year at normal rates of usage for the product.