Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of opioids dispensed for pain relief contain a warning on the package that the medication may cause dependence or addiction.

The Department does not collect this information centrally. Guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency states that all opioid medicines should contain a warning statement in the patient information leaflet that if taking the medication for long periods there is risk of developing an addiction or dependence. A copy of Additional warning statements for inclusion on the label and/or in the leaflet of certain medicines is attached.

It is the responsibility of the dispensing pharmacist to determine whether a specific warning should be placed on the packaging of medication.