Prescription opioids, abuse and public health in Canada: is fentanyl the new centre of the opioid crisis?

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

Volumn 24, Issue 12, 2015, Pages 1334-1336

  Fischer, Benedikt ^a,b,c   Russell, Cayley ^a   Murphy, Yoko ^a   Kurdyak, Paul ^a,b,d  

^a CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

^c SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^d INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EVALUATIVE SCIENCES   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

FENTANYL; OPIATE; OXYCODONE;

CANADA; DRUG ABUSE; DRUG BIOAVAILABILITY; DRUG FORMULATION; DRUG MISUSE; HUMAN; LAW ENFORCEMENT; MORBIDITY; NOTE; PRESCRIPTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PUBLIC HEALTH; SUBSTANCE USE;

EID: 84977607463     PISSN: 10538569     EISSN: 10991557     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/pds.3901     Document Type: Note

References (35)

1. Manchikanti L, Helm S, Fellows B, et al. Opioid epidemic in the United States. Pain Physician 2012; 15(3): ES9–ES38.
2. Fischer B, Argento E. Prescription opioid related misuse, harms, diversion and interventions in Canada: a review. Pain Physician 2012; 15(3): ES191–ES203.
3. Paulozzi LJ, Ryan GW. Opioid analgesics and rates of fatal drug poisoning in the United States. Am J Prev Med 2006; 31(6): 506–511.
4. Okie S. A flood of opioids, a rising tide of deaths. N Engl J Med 2010; 363(21): 1981–1985.
5. Dhalla IA, Mamdani MM, Sivilotti ML, et al. Prescribing of opioid analgesics and related mortality before and after the introduction of long-acting oxycodone. CMAJ 2009; 181(12): 891–896.
6. Fischer B, Jones W, Rehm J. Trends and changes in prescription opioid analgesic dispensing in Canada 2005–2012: an update with a focus on recent interventions. BMC Health Serv Res 2014; 14(1): 90.
7. Fischer B, Keates A. ‘Opioid drought’, Canadian-style? Potential implications of the ‘natural experiment’ of delisting Oxycontin in Canada. Int J Drug Policy 2012; 23(6): 495–497.
8. Nelson L, Schwaner R. Transdermal fentanyl: pharmacology and toxicology. J Med Toxicol 2009 Dec; 5(4): 230–241.
9. Mastropietro DJ, Omidian H. Current approaches in tamper-resistant and abuse-deterrent formulations. Drug Dev Ind Pharm 2013 May; 39(5): 611–624.
10. International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Narcotic Drugs Estimated World Requirements for 2014—Statistics for 2012. T.14.XI.2: United Nations, New York, NY., 2014.
11. Fischer B, Murphy Y, Jones W, et al. Recent developments in prescription opioid-related dispensing and harm indicators in Ontario, Canada. Pain Physician 2015; 18(4): E659–E662.
12. Chief Coroner of Ontario. Number of opioid toxicity deaths by drug in Ontario. 2015 [Email]. [05 May2015].
13. Talmazan Y. VDP warn about a spike in fentanyl induced overdose deaths. Global News. 2015. Available at: http://globalnews.ca/news/1858902/vpd-warn-about-a-spike-in-fentanyl-induced-overdose-deaths/ [accessed 05 May 2015].
14. Jones G. Fentanyl-related Deaths in Alberta. Chief Medical Examiner: Alberta [Personal Communication]. [05 May 2015], 2011–14.
15. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA). CCENDU Bulletin: Deaths Involving Fentanyl in Canada, 2009–2014, Aug; Ottawa (ed.): ON, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2015.
16. Roxburgh A, Burns L, Drummer OH, et al. Trends in fentanyl prescriptions and fentanyl-related mortality in Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2013 May; 32(3): 269–275.
17. Simonsen KW, Edvardsen HM, Thelander G, et al. Fatal poisoning in drug addicts in the Nordic countries in 2012. Forensic Sci Int 2015 Mar; 248: 172–180.
18. Calcaterra S, Glanz J, Binswanger IA. National trends in pharmaceutical opioid related overdose deaths compared to other substance related overdose deaths: 1999–2009. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013 Aug 1; 131(3): 263–270.
19. Ojanpera I, Gergov M, Liiv M, et al. An epidemic of fatal 3-methylfentanyl poisoning in Estonia. Int J Legal Med 2008 Sep; 122(5): 395–400.
20. Martin TL, Woodall KL, McLellan BA. Fentanyl-related deaths in Ontario, Canada: toxicological findings and circumstances of death in 112 cases (2002–2004). J Anal Toxicol 2006; 30: 603–610.
21. Hull MJ, Juhascik M, Mazur F, et al. Fatalities associated with fentanyl and co-administered cocaine or opiates. J Forensic Sci 2007 Nov; 52(6): 1383–1388.
22. Jumbelic MI. Deaths with transdermal fentanyl patches. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2010 Mar; 31(1): 18–21.
23. Firestone M, Goldman B, Fischer B. Fentanyl use among street drug users in Toronto, Canada: behavioural dynamics and public health implications. Int J Drug Policy 2009; 20(1): 90–92.
24. Department of Health and Human Services. Fentanyl patch misuse: serious injury, overdose and death. [Internet]. 2012. Available at: http://docs2.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/Fentanyl-patch-misuse:-serious-injury-overdose-and-death [accessed 25 August 2015].
25. Cotter J. Illegal fentanyl linked to more than 100 deaths in Alberta. CTV News. [Internet]. 2015. Available at: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/illegal-fentanyl-linked-to-more-than-100-deaths-in-alberta-last-year-rcmp-1.2286229 [accessed 05 May 2015].
26. Carter A. Two more deaths probed by coroner linked to toxic heroin. CBC News. [Internet]. 2014. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/two-more-deaths-probed-by-coroner-for-links-to-toxic-heroin-1.2769543 [accessed 05 May 2015].
27. Burgmann T. Lethal fentanyl profiting gangs in Western Canada while deaths climb. The Globe and Mail. [Internet]. 2015. Available at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/lethal-fentanyl-profiting-gangs-in-western-canada-while-deaths-climb/article25866895/ (accessed 25 August 2015).
28. Fischer B, Jones W, Urbanoski K, et al. Correlations between prescription opioid analgesic dispensing levels and related mortality and morbidity in Ontario, Canada, 2005–2011. Drug Alcohol Rev 2013; 33(1): 19–26.
29. King NB, Fraser V, Boikos C, et al. Determinants of increased opioid-related mortality in the United States and Canada, 1990–2013: a systematic review. Am J Public Health 2014 Aug; 104(8): 32–42.
30. Webster LR, Cochella S, Dasgupta N, et al. An analysis of the root causes for opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. Pain Med 2011; 12(2 Suppl): S26–S35.
31. Fishman SM. Commentary in response to Paulozzi et al.: prescription drug abuse and safe pain management. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2006; 15(9): 628–631.
32. Dart RC, Surratt HL, Cicero TJ, et al. Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. N Engl J Med 2015 Jan 15; 372(3): 241–248.
33. Degenhardt L, Day C, Dietze P, et al. Effects of a sustained heroin shortage in three Australian states. Addiction 2005 Jul; 100(7): 908–920.
34. Unick GJ, Rosenblum D, Mars S, et al. Intertwined epidemics: national demographic trends in hospitalizations for heroin- and opioid-related overdoses, 1993–2009. PLoS One 2013; 8(2): e54496.
35. Fischer B, Burnett C, Rehm J. Considerations towards a population health approach to reduce prescription opioid-related harms (with a primary focus on Canada). Drugs-Educ Prev Policy 2015; 22(1): 60–65.