STUDY OF NARCOTICS AND BUPRENORPHINE SPEC IALITIES PRESCRIPTIONS IN THE PROVENCE-ALPS-COTE DAZUR REGION

Following the setting up by the Government of their project for the ma nagement of drug addicts, and under the guidance of the CEIP (Centre d 'Evaluation et d'Information sur les Pharmacodependances [Centre for E valuation and Information on Drug Addiction]) in Marseille, a survey o f prescriptions written on controlled-drug prescription pads was perfo rmed. The aims were threefold : to study the medicines prescribed, to follow up the legislation and to inform doctors and pharmacists. Copie s of the prescriptions, dated between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 1996, which were sent by 81 per cent of the 216 pharmacies contacted in 15 towns in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) region were studied. Va rious criteria, relating to writing of the prescriptions and distribut ion of the medicines to the patients, were coded and analysed. This su rvey showed that of 4 prescriptions, 3 were prescribed for maintenance and one for analgesic therapy. The patients receiving maintenance the rapy were male in three-quarters of the cases, and were around 30 year s old. Analgesics were prescribed in equal proportions for patients of both sexes, who were around 65 years old. Since it was put on the mar ket, Subutex(R) has been quickly prescribed.