Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if in view of the recent granting of a pan European licence to suboxone, a sister product of subutex, she will develop a protocol for its use along the lines of the methadone protocol; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41382/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I am aware that the drugs Suboxone and Subutex (active ingredient buprenorphine) is an alternative choice to methadone in the treatment of opiate dependent addicts.

The current position is that Subutex (buprenorphine only) can be prescribed to opiate users by addiction service consultants in specialist drug treatment clinics, where the prescription and dispensing of Subutex is tightly controlled.

I am informed that the combination drug Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone combined) has recently been granted an EU license via central procedure by the EMEA, and that preliminary studies have shown that the combination drug is as effective as Subutex (buprenorphine alone) in the management of opioid dependence and that it has less abuse potential.

My Department is considering the implications of the introduction of the combination drug Suboxone and its use as a possible treatment for opiate dependency. In that context, my officials will be meeting the license holders, Schering-Plough in the coming week to discuss the best approach on its probable Irish launch in early 2007.