There are two suppliers of diamorphine injection to the national health service—Novartis and Wockhardt UK. Both companies are manufacturing to their full available capacity but they are unable to produce sufficient to meet historic levels of demand. We have been in close and ongoing discussions with the suppliers to increase the levels of the drug supplied to the NHS and believe that through careful prescribing and use of available stocks patient care is not being compromised. This is in part because we arranged for the increased production and availability of other alternative drugs such as morphine when the problem arose in December 2004.