The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7186 p233-237
23 February 2002

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Heroin recommended in the Netherlands

Diamorphine (heroin) should be prescribable for treatment-resistant addicts, according to the Netherlands' Central Committee on the Treatment of Heroin Addicts.

The committee's recommendation follows two trials in which supervised heroin was prescribed to 549 addicts in six cities in the Netherlands. In chronic, treatment-resistant heroin addicts already treated with methadone, adding heroin was found to be more effective than the continuation of methadone alone. Patients prescribed the combination experienced between 23 and 25 per cent more improvement in physical, mental or social condition than patients taking methadone alone. In addition, supervised prescription of heroin did not cause an excess of serious medical adverse events.

The committee concludes: "Supervised medical co-prescription of heroin may be a useful supplement to the existing treatment options for chronic heroin addicts." It advises that heroin should be registered as a medicinal product for last-resort treatment of heroin addicts.