Drugs: prescribing for drug use

Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) drug prescribing – community:

• In 2022/23, the number of paid items for OST drugs was 423,814.
• In 2022/23 the dispensing of methadone was equivalent to 10.28 Defined Daily Doses (DDDs) per 1,000 population per day.
• Buprenorphine dispensing (including Buvidal© slow-release formulations) was equivalent to 1.75 DDDs per 1,000 population per day in 2022/23.
• In 2022/23, the dispensing of buprenorphine and naloxone combined (Suboxone) was equivalent to 0.20 DDDs per 1,000 population per day.

Patient estimates - community:

• In 2022/23, methadone 1mg/ml solution was prescribed to a minimum of 22,087 people for the treatment of opioid dependence.
• In 2022/23, oral buprenorphine was prescribed to a minimum of 7,254 people for the treatment of opioid dependence.
• In 2022/23-Q4, it was estimated that 2,698 people were prescribed injectable buprenorphine in Scotland.

Annual and quarterly (12 month rolling) OST patient estimates:

Based on data from the Prescribing Information System (PIS) only:

In 2022/23, OST was prescribed to an estimated minimum of 29,161 people in Scotland.

• Based on data from Prescribing Information System (PIS) and Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database (HMUD):

In 2022/23, including patients supplied with injectable buprenorphine via hospital stock order systems, it is estimated that OST was prescribed to a minimum of 29,942 people in Scotland.