Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the MHRA's Opioids Expert Working Group will consider the use of opioids solely for pain management or the use of opioids in their entirety.

The Opioid Expert Working Group was established under the auspices of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) to examine regulatory measures in place and whether further action was needed. The review examined the use of opioids in non-cancer pain relief available over the counter and by prescription and did not include opioid use in the treatment of cancer pain or substitution therapy.

The review found that information for patients and healthcare professionals must be consistent and clear. The CHM’s recommendations to improve information for prescribers and patients about these risks to protect public health have been implemented. The safety of opioids is continuously monitored to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks in the use of these medicines.