Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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415. To ask the Minister for Health if regulations to allow for the introduction of buprenorphine naloxone and buprenorphine products have been agreed and introduced. [53866/17]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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416. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the working group to progress increased access to buprenorphine naloxone and buprenorphine products. [53867/17]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 416 together.

In January 2016, the Director General of the HSE submitted the final report of the Opioid Substitution Implementation Group to the Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy. The report recommends the phased increased access to buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) for groups of patients in specific circumstances, subject to resourcing and the required legislation being enacted.

Approximately 80 people currently receive suboxone for opioid dependence and are registered on the Central Treatment List (CTL) on an informal basis. For the feasibility study, the CTL was required to set up, manage and maintain a separate national database for all clients in receipt of buprenorphine/naloxone treatment. However, unlike the CTL for Methadone this did not have a statutory footing.

New Regulations, the Misuse of Drugs (Supervision of Prescription and Supply of Methadone and Medicinal Products containing Buprenorphine authorised for Opioid Substitution Treatment) Regulations 2017 came into effect on 22 November 2017. The purpose of these Regulations is to provide access to certain buprenorphine-based medicinal products for Opioid Substitution Treatment (including buprenorphine/naloxone and buprenorphine only) on the same statutory basis as methadone.