As part of the EMEA’s preparation for the risk assessment of ketamine, they
asked for information on each national situation regarding the terms of
authorisation and therapeutic value of the product.

Ketamine is authorised in most countries of the EU with similar indications,
except for Greece, where the marketing authorisation was recalled in 1998.
It is indicated for special situations in anaesthesia (alone or in combination)
and for special situations in pain treatment. Its use generally seems to be
limited and decreasing, with the exception of Belgium, where a steady
increase in use has been observed in the last 10 years, and the United
Kingdom, which reported an increase in hospital prescriptions between
1997 and 1999. Although most responses did not contain information as to
whether action has been taken to list the products under the 1971 UN
Convention on Psychotropic Substances, in many countries ketamine is subject
to restricted prescription or regulated as a psychotropic substance.

London, 30 March 2001