To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many district health authority areas the drug Aricept is available on prescription at public expense. [29571]

Data from the Prescription Pricing Authority show that in the vast majority of health authorities (99), some prescriptions for Aricept have been dispensed. However, I understand that many health authorities are at present reluctant to commit resources to the drug because published data currently suggest that it has limited clinical effectiveness and is unlikely to have any effect on the underlying disease progression.