Written question asked by Iris Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Friday, 12 September 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 October 2003. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Monday, 6 October 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he plans to investigate the extent of methylphenidate prescribing in the UK. - Includes table and figures.

Answer: Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to investigate the extent of Methylphenidate prescribing in the UK. [130259] Dr. Ladyman: Information is collected on the number of prescription items of all Methylphenidate drugs dispensed in the community. The data includes prescriptions prescribed in general practitioner practices, and prescriptions prescribed in hospitals that have been dispensed in the community. Private prescriptions, and prescriptions dispensed in hospitals are not included. Numbers of prescriptions in England for the years 1997 to 2002 are set out in the table. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Items (Thousand) 1997 92.1 1998 126.6 1999 158.0 2000 186.2 2001 208.5 2002 254.0 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. In 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) made an appraisal of the use of Methylphenidate in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). NICE estimated that approximately 1 per cent. of all school-aged children-- about 69,000 of 6 to 16-year-olds in England met the diagnostic criteria for Hyperkinetic Disorder, the more severe type ADHD, of whom some 45,000 might benefit from Methylphenidate were not receiving this treatment. A review of the appraisal is planned for this year.

Secondary information