HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 20, 2022 (HealthDay Information) — As opioid overdose deaths proceed to soar, a Canadian program factors to 1 method to save lives: offering “safer” opioids to individuals at excessive threat of overdose.
That is the conclusion of a examine evaluating Canada’s first formal “safer opioid provide,” or SOS, program. Such applications purpose to stop overdoses by giving weak individuals a substitute for the more and more harmful avenue provide of opioids.
On this case, the London, Ontario-based program offered purchasers with a every day dose of prescription opioid tablets, in addition to fundamental well being care, counseling and social providers.
The end result was a fast drop in emergency division journeys and hospitalizations among the many 82 purchasers studied, the researchers discovered. And over six years, there was not a single overdose loss of life.
“I feel this can be a landmark examine,” stated Thomas Kerr, director of analysis on the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, in Vancouver, Canada.
Kerr, who was not concerned within the examine, acknowledged that SOS applications are controversial and have their critics. Considerations have included the potential of opioid capsules being offered, or individuals crushing the tablets and injecting them, which carries the danger of overdose or an infection.
However criticisms of safer provide have been made within the absence of information, Kerr stated.
“The entire dialog has been clouded by misinformation,” he stated. “After we’re speaking about issues of life and loss of life, we won’t depend on individuals’s opinions.”
Kerr stated he hoped the brand new findings “will mute a number of the misinformation.”
The examine was revealed Sept. 19 within the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Affiliation Journal). Itcomes amid an ever-worsening opioid epidemic.
In the USA, opioid overdose deaths have been on the rise for years, and the state of affairs worsened after the pandemic hit. In 2020, almost 92,000 People died of a drug overdose — largely involving opioids, in response to the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
The disaster has primarily been pushed by illegally made variations of the painkiller fentanyl, an artificial opioid that’s 50 occasions stronger than heroin, well being officers say. Illicit fentanyl is offered in varied kinds, together with capsules made to appear like different prescription opioids. It is also generally blended into different unlawful medicine, like cocaine and heroin, to spice up their efficiency. The result’s that customers are sometimes unaware they’re taking fentanyl.
Safer provide applications are primarily based on the precept of hurt discount — that overdoses, infections and different penalties of opioid dependancy could be prevented, with out requiring individuals who misuse medicine to be utterly abstinent.
The brand new findings come from a program begun in 2016 at London InterCommunity Well being Centre. It supplies purchasers with hydromorphone (Dilaudid) tablets, allotted every day, in addition to many different providers — together with main well being care, remedy for infections like HIV and hepatitis C, counseling, and assist with housing and different social providers.
The researchers, led by Tara Gomes, of Unity Well being Toronto, checked out information on all 94 purchasers who entered this system between 2016 and March 2019. They in contrast 82 of these individuals towards 303 people recognized with opioid dependancy who didn’t participate in this system.
Over one 12 months, the examine discovered, emergency division visits and hospitalizations fell amongst program purchasers, whereas remaining unchanged within the comparability group. And whereas purchasers had remedy prices — lined by Ontario’s prescription drug plan — their yearly well being care prices exterior of main care plunged: from about $15,600, on common, to $7,300.
Once more, there was no substantial change within the comparability group.
Dr. Sandra Springer is an affiliate professor at Yale Faculty of Medication, in New Haven, Conn., who has helped craft follow pointers for the American Society of Habit Medication.
“This examine is additional proof that applications that meet sufferers the place they’re and supply easy accessibility to medical look after remedy of opioid use dysfunction can save extra lives and scale back well being care prices,” stated Springer, who was not concerned within the analysis.
Opioid dependency itself could be handled with medication-assisted remedy, which entails counseling and drugs like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone.
“Whereas this SOS program didn’t present conventional drugs for the remedy of opioid use dysfunction to all individuals, these drugs have been accessible to sufferers by way of this system,” Springer famous.
And, she stated, different analysis has proven that when individuals who use medicine are provided “compassionate care,” they’re extra more likely to settle for “evidence-based remedy.”
The extent to which SOS applications will unfold stays to be seen. In 2020, Well being Canada introduced funding for a number of extra pilot applications. And final 12 months, New York Metropolis opened two overdose prevention websites — the place individuals with opioid dependancy can use the medicine in a clear, supervised setting, and be related with well being care and social providers.
The websites are the primary publicly acknowledged overdose prevention facilities in the USA.
Kerr stated that within the face of an opioid disaster that’s solely worsening, “the established order response isn’t adequate.”
“We have now to attempt new approaches,” he stated, “and scientifically consider them.”
Extra info
The U.S. Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse has extra on opioid use dysfunction.
SOURCES: Thomas Kerr, PhD, director, analysis, British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, professor, social drugs, College of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Sandra Springer, MD, affiliate professor, drugs, Yale Faculty of Medication, New Haven, Conn.; CMAJ, Sept. 19, 2022, on-line
