Crude estimates of prescription opioid-related misuse and use disorder populations towards informing intervention system need in Canada

The associations of supervised consumption services with the rates of opioid-related mortality and morbidity outcomes at the public health unit level in Ontario (Canada): A controlled interrupted time-series analysis

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to assess the impact of the implementation of legally sanctioned supervised consumption sites (SCS) in the Canadian province of Ontario on opioid-related deaths, emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalisations at the public health unit (PHU) level.

METHODS

Monthly rates per 100,000 population of opioid-related deaths, ED visits and hospitalisations for PHUs in Ontario between December 2013 and March 2022 were collected. Aggregated and individual analyses of PHUs with one or more SCS were conducted, with PHUs that instituted an SCS being matched to control units that did not. Autoregressive integrated moving average models were used to estimate the impact of SCS implementation on opioid-related deaths, ED visits and hospitalisations.

RESULTS

Twenty-one legally sanctioned SCS were implemented across nine PHUs in Ontario during the study period. Interrupted time series analyses showed no statistically significant changes in opioid-related death rates in aggregated analyses of intervention PHUs (increase of 0.02 deaths/100,000 population/month; p = 0.27). Control PHUs saw a significant increase of 0.38 deaths/100,000 population/month; p < 0.001. No statistically significant changes were observed in the rates of opioid-related ED visits in intervention PHUs (decrease of 0.61 visits/100,000 population/month; p = 0.39) or controls (increase of 0.403 visits; p = 0.76). No statistically significant changes to the rates of opioid-related hospitalisations were observed in intervention PHUs (0 hospitalisations/100,000 population/month; p = 0.98) or controls (decrease of 0.05 hospitalisations; p = 0.95).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This study did not find significant mortality or morbidity effects associated with SCS availability at the population level in Ontario. In the context of a highly toxic drug supply, additional interventions will be required to reduce opioid-related harms.

Associations of Methadone and BUP/NX Dose Titration Patterns With Retention in Treatment and Opioid Use in Individuals With Prescription-Type Opioid Use Disorder: Secondary Analysis of the OPTIMA Study

INTRODUCTION

Methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) titration parameters (eg, range, duration, and rate) can vary during opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. We describe methadone and BUP/NX titration patterns and their associations with treatment outcomes among individuals with a prescription-type OUD.

METHODS

We used data from a 24-week open-label, multicenter randomized controlled trial, including N = 167 participants aged 18-64 years old with prescription-type OUD who received at least a first dose of treatment. Descriptive analyses of methadone and BUP/NX titration patterns were conducted, that is, range and duration from first to maximum dose, and rate (range/duration ratio). Outcomes included percentage of opioid-positive urine drug screens (UDS) and treatment retention. Adjusted linear and logistic regressions were used to study associations between titration patterns and percentage of opioid-positive UDS and treatment retention.

RESULTS

Methadone doses were increased by a mean dose range of 42.4 mg over a mean duration of 42.2 days. BUP/NX doses were increased by a mean dose range of 8.4 mg over a mean duration of 28.7 days. Only methadone dose titration range (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.05) and duration (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.05) were associated with higher retention. Only methadone dose titration rate was associated with lower percentage of opioid-positive UDS at weeks 12-24 ( B : -2.77; 95% CI, -4.72 to -0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Specific parameters of methadone titration were associated with treatment outcomes and may help in personalizing treatment schedules. Sustained methadone dose titration, when indicated, may help increase retention, whereas faster dose titration for methadone may help decrease opioid use.

Associations of methadone and buprenorphine-naloxone doses with unregulated opioid use, treatment retention, and adverse events in prescription-type opioid use disorders: Exploratory analyses of the OPTIMA study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP-NX) and methadone are used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), yet there is insufficient evidence on the impact of doses on interventions' effectiveness and safety when treating OUD attributable to other opioids than heroin.

METHODS

We explored associations between methadone and BUP-NX doses and treatment outcomes using data from OPTIMA, a 24-week, pragmatic, open-label, multicenter, pan-Canadian, randomized controlled, two-arm parallel trial with participants (N = 272) with OUD who primarily use opioids other than heroin. Participants were randomized to receive flexible take-home BUP-NX (n = 138) or standard supervised methadone treatment (n = 134). We examined associations between highest BUP-NX and methadone doses, and (1) percentage of opioid-positive urine drug screens (UDS); (2) retention in the assigned treatment; and (3) adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

The mean (SD) highest BUP-NX and methadone dose were 17.31 mg/day (8.59) and 67.70 mg/day (34.70). BUP-NX and methadone doses were not associated with opioid-positive UDS percentages or AEs. Methadone dose was associated with higher retention in treatment (odds ratio [OR]: 1.025; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.010; 1.041), while BUP-NX dose was not (OR: 1.055; 95% CI: 0.990; 1.124). Higher methadone doses (70-110 mg/day) offered higher odds of treatment retention.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Methadone dose was associated with higher retention, which may be related to its full µ-opioid receptor agonism. Future research should notably ascertain the effect of pace of titration on a wide range of outcomes.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

Our results extend previous findings of high doses of methadone increasing retention to be applied in our population using opioids other than heroin, including highly potent opioids.

Flexible Buprenorphine/Naloxone Model of Care for Reducing Opioid Use in Individuals With Prescription-Type Opioid Use Disorder: An Open-Label, Pragmatic, Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

Extensive exposure to prescription-type opioids has resulted in major harm worldwide, calling for better-adapted approaches to opioid agonist therapy. The authors aimed to determine whether flexible take-home buprenorphine/naloxone is as effective as supervised methadone in reducing opioid use in prescription-type opioid consumers with opioid use disorder.

METHODS

This seven-site, pan-Canadian, 24-week, pragmatic, open-label, noninferiority, two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial involved treatment-seeking adults with prescription-type opioid use disorder. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (target dosage, 8 mg/2 mg to 24 mg/6 mg per day; flexible take-home dosing) or oral methadone (≈60-120 mg/day; closely supervised). The primary outcome was the proportion of opioid-free urine drug screens over 24 weeks (noninferiority margin, 15%). All randomized participants were analyzed, excluding one who died shortly after randomization, for the primary analysis (modified intention-to-treat analysis).

RESULTS

Of 272 participants recruited (mean age, 39 years [SD=11]; 34.2% female), 138 were randomized to buprenorphine/naloxone and 134 to methadone. The mean proportion of opioid-free urine drug screens was 24.0% (SD=34.4) in the buprenorphine/naloxone group and 18.5% (SD=30.5) in the methadone group, with a 5.6% adjusted mean difference (95% CI=-0.3, +∞). Participants in the buprenorphine/naloxone group had 0.47 times the odds (95% CI=0.24, 0.90) of being retained in the assigned treatment compared with those in the methadone group. Overall, 24 drug-related adverse events were reported (12 in the buprenorphine/naloxone group [N=8/138; 5.7%] and 12 in the methadone group [N=12/134; 9.0%]) and mostly included withdrawal, hypogonadism, and overdose.

CONCLUSIONS

The buprenorphine/naloxone flexible model of care was safe and noninferior to methadone in reducing opioid use among people with prescription-type opioid use disorder. This flexibility could help expand access to opioid agonist therapy and reduce harms in the context of the opioid overdose crisis.

Buprenorphine/naloxone and methadone effectiveness for reducing craving in individuals with prescription opioid use disorder: Exploratory results from an open-label, pragmatic randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Craving reduction is an important target in the treatment of prescription-type opioid use disorder (POUD). In this exploratory analysis, we compared the effectiveness of BUP/NX flexible model of care relative to methadone for craving reduction in individuals with POUD.

METHODS

We analyzed data from a multicentric, pragmatic, 24-week open-label randomized controlled trial conducted in participants with POUD (N = 272) who were randomly assigned to BUP/NX model of care with flexible take-home dosing (n = 138) or the standard model of care with closely supervised methadone (n = 134). Treatments were prescribed and administered according to local guidelines, in diverse clinical settings. Craving was measured using the Brief Substance Craving Scale at baseline, week 2, 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22.

RESULTS

Cravings decreased in both treatment groups over 22 weeks (BUP/NX adjusted mean difference = -5.52, 95% CI = -6.91 to -4.13; methadone adjusted mean difference = -3.95, 95% CI = -5.28 to -2.63; p < 0.001), and were overall lower in the BUP/NX group (adjusted mean = 4.04, 95% CI = 3.43-4.64) than the methadone group (adjusted mean = 5.13, 95% CI = 4.51-5.74; p < 0.001). The time by treatment group interaction (favoring BUP/NX) was statistically significant at week 2 (adjusted mean difference = -1.58, 95% CI = -3.13 to -0.03; p = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the standard methadone model of care, flexible take-home dosing of BUP/NX was associated with lower craving in individuals with POUD. These findings can contribute to guiding shared decision-making regarding OAT treatment in this population.

Evaluating the population-level effects of oxycodone restrictions on prescription opioid utilization in Ontario

PURPOSE

To investigate the impact of restrictions on access to long acting oxycodone on prescription opioid use and opioid-related harms.

METHODS

Administrative health data from Ontario, Canada was used to measure differences in opioids dispensed and ED visits for opioid-related overdose, poisoning or substance use following provincial restrictions on access to publicly insured OxyContin (February 29, 2012) and OxyNeo (February 28, 2013). This study focused on the cohort of provincial drug insurance eligible people (people 65+ and select low-income populations) who were dispensed oxycodone prior to the restrictions. Difference-in-differences models with a propensity score matched comparison group of people who were dispensed non-oxycodone opioids were used to estimate the main effects.

RESULTS

In the six months following the delisting of OxyContin, MMEs per person per week for all opioids fell by an average of 7.5% in people dispensed oxycodone relative to the comparison group, and an average of 13.8% in chronic recipients of oxycodone. In the six months following the restrictions on OxyNeo, MMEs per person per week fell by an average of 3.1% in all people dispensed oxycodone, and 25.2% in chronic oxycodone recipients. The decline in oxycodone dispensing amongst chronic oxycodone recipients corresponded with an increase in dispensing of other opioid formulations, particularly hydromorphone and fentanyl. No important differences were observed for ED visits related to opioid poisoning, overdose, or substance use disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

Province-wide restrictions on access to long acting oxycodone had an impact on quantities of all opioids dispensed to chronic recipients of oxycodone, but small impacts on the full population of people dispensed oxycodone; the decline in use was partially offset by increases in use of other publicly-funded opioid formulations. This study suggests that policies limiting access to specific prescription opioids led to overall reductions in publicly-funded prescription opioid use, particularly in chronic oxycodone recipients, without immediate evidence of changes in opioid-related ED visits. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

What is the prevalence of and trend in opioid use disorder in the United States from 2010 to 2019? Using multiplier approaches to estimate prevalence for an unknown population size

Opioid-related overdose deaths have increased since 2010 in the U.S., but information on trends in opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence is limited due to unreliable data. Multiplier methods are a classical epidemiological technique to estimate prevalence when direct estimation is infeasible or unreliable. We used two different multiplier approaches to estimate OUD prevalence from 2010 to 2019. First, we estimated OUD in National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and based on existing capture-recapture studies, multiplied prevalence by 4.5x. Second, we estimated the probability of drug poisoning death among people with OUD (Meta-analysis indicates 0.52/100,000), and divided the number of drug poisoning deaths in the US by this probability. Estimates were weighted to account for increase in drug-related mortality in recent years due to fentanyl. Estimated OUD prevalence was lowest when estimated in NSDUH with no multiplier, and highest when estimated from vital statistics data without adjustment. Consistent findings emerged with two methods: NSDUH data with multiplier correction, and vital statistics data with multiplier and adjustment. From these two methods, OUD prevalence increased from 2010 to 2014; then stabilized and slightly declined annually (survey data with multiplier, highest prevalence of 4.0% in 2015; death data with a multiplier and correction, highest prevalence of 2.35% in 2016). The number of US adolescent and adult individuals with OUD in 2019 was estimated between 6.7-7.6 million. When multipliers and corrections are used, OUD may have stabilized or slightly declined after 2015. Nevertheless, it remains highly prevalent, affecting 6-7 million US adolescents and adults.

The use of diverted pharmaceutical opioids is associated with reduced risk of fentanyl exposure among people using unregulated drugs in Vancouver, Canada

BACKGROUND

Although non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids (POs) is associated with a number of risks, in the context of the opioid-overdose crisis, it may have the secondary benefit of decreasing the risk of exposure to more potent opioids from unregulated sources. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of using diverted POs on fentanyl exposure.

METHODS

Using data from two prospective community-recruited cohorts of people who use drugs (PWUD) in Vancouver, Canada, we estimated the independent relationship between using diverted POs and fentanyl exposure (assessed through urine drug test [UDT]) between 2016 and 2018. We also explored if participant characteristics modified this relationship.

RESULTS

Over the study period, among 1150 participants, 241 (21.0%) reported using diverted POs in 292 (12.8%) occasions. In adjusted analyses, PWUD using diverted POs had decreased odds of fentanyl exposure (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52-0.94). The reduced odds of fentanyl exposure persisted among participants with morphine positive UDT (AOR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.40-0.82), but not among those with negative morphine UDT (AOR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.54-1.55).

CONCLUSION

PWUD using diverted POs in our sample were 30% less likely to be exposed to fentanyl. This reduced likelihood was primarily observed among PWUD with morphine positive UDT, which could partially be explained by longer duration of action and lower street cost of slow-release oral morphine relative to other POs and fentanyl. Findings suggest that access to a regulated supply of pharmaceutical-grade opioids may serve to reduce fentanyl-related harms.

Correlations between Changes in Medical Opioid Dispensing and Contributions of Fentanyl to Opioid-Related Overdose Fatalities: Exploratory Analyses from Canada

Canada is experiencing an epidemic of opioid-related mortality, with increasing yet heterogeneous fatality patterns from illicit/synthetic (e.g., fentanyl) opioids. The present study examined whether differential provincial reductions in medical opioid dispensing following restrictive regulations (post-2010) were associated with differential contributions of fentanyl to opioid mortality. Annual provincial opioid dispensing totals in defined daily doses/1000 population/day, and change rates in opioid dispensing for the 10 provinces for (1) 2011-2018 and (2) "peak-year" to 2018 were derived from a pan-Canadian pharmacy-based dispensing panel. Provincial contribution rates of fentanyl to opioid-related mortality (2016-2019) were averaged. Correlation values (Pearson's R) between provincial changes in opioid dispensing and the relative fentanyl contributions to mortality were computed for the two scenarios. The correlation between province-based changes in opioid dispensing (2011-2018) and the relative contribution of fentanyl to total opioid deaths (2016-2019) was -0.70 (t = 2.75; df = 8; p = 0.03); the corresponding correlation for opioid dispensing changes ("peak-year" to 2018) was -0.59 (t = -2.06; df = 8; p = 0.07). Provincial reductions in medical opioid dispensing indicated (near-)significant correlations with fentanyl contribution rates to opioid-related death totals. Differential reductions in pharmaceutical opioid availability may have created supply voids for nonmedical use, substituted with synthetic/toxic (e.g., fentanyl) opioids and leading to accelerated opioid mortality. Implications of these possible unintended adverse consequences warrant consideration for public health policy.

Applying principles of injury and infectious disease control to the opioid mortality epidemic in North America: critical intervention gaps

North America has been experiencing an acute and unprecedented public health crisis involving excessive and increasing levels of opioid-related overdose mortality. In the present commentary, we examine current interventions (as existent mainly in Canada) to date and compare them against established intervention frameworks and practices in other areas of public health, specifically injury and infectious disease control. We observe that current interventions focusing on opioid drug safety or exposure-specifically those that focus on distinctly potent and toxic opioid products driving major increases in overdose mortality-may be considered the equivalent of 'agent-' or 'vector'-based interventions. Such interventions have been largely neglected in favor of 'host' (e.g., drug user-oriented) or 'environmental' measures among strategies to reduce opioid-related overdose, likely contributing to the limited efficacy of current measures. We explore potential reasons, implications and remedies for these gaps in the overall public health strategy employed towards improved interventions to reduce opioid-related health harms.

Food insecurity, chronic pain, and use of prescription opioids

Chronic pain has been on the rise in recent decades in Canada. Accordingly, the use of prescription opioids (PO) in Canada increased drastically between 2005 and 2014, only starting to decrease in 2015. Both pain and PO use have serious public health repercussions, disproporionately affecting select socially disadvantaged populations. Food insecurity is a strong risk factor for mental disorders and suicidal outcomes, yet its relationship to chronic pain and PO use is largely unknown. Using two recent cycles from the population representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), we examined the association of household food insecurity status with chronic pain and PO use among Canadians 12 years and older, adjusting for health and sociodemographic characteristics. Compared to food-secure individuals, marginally, moderately, and severely food-insecure individuals had 1.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-1.48), 1.89 (95% CI 1.71-2.08), and 3.29 (95% CI 2.90-3.74) times higher odds of experiencing chronic pain and 1.55 (95% CI 1.30-1.85), 1.77 (95% CI 1.54-2.04), and 2.65 (95% CI 2.27-3.09) times higher odds of using PO in the past year, respectively. The graded association with food insecurity severity was also found in severe pain experience and pain-induced activity limitations among chronic pain patients and, less consistently, in intensive, excess, and alternative use of PO and its acquisition through means other than medical prescription among past-year PO users. Food insecurity was a much more powerful predictor of chronic pain and PO use than other well-established social determinants of health like income and education. Policies reducing food insecurity may lower incidence of chronic pain and help contain the opioid crisis.

Why comparative epidemiological indicators suggest that New Zealand is unlikely to experience a severe opioid epidemic

North America (i.e., the United States and Canada) and select other wealthy Commonwealth countries (e.g., Australia, the UK) have been experiencing marked 'opioid epidemics', consisting of elevated opioid use and related (e.g., mortality and morbidity) harms involving both prescription and, increasingly, illicit opioid substances. Multiple commentators have alerted to the possibility of New Zealand becoming home to a similar opioid crisis. In this article, we briefly examine and compare key system-level epidemiological indicators for New Zealand in regards to this situation and prospect. These data suggest that, comparatively, population-level (medical) opioid use, exposure and supply in New Zealand have been low and moderate, mostly involving restrained and lower-risk (e.g., short-duration, few long-acting/high-potency formulations, restricted settings) medical opioid availability, with limited over-time increases and absent the major oscillations in opioid dispensing observed elsewhere. Similarly, illicit opioids have been rather low in availability and use, and do not form primary substances in illicit drug scenes or markets. Correspondingly, opioid-related mortality in New Zealand has been somewhat increasing over-time albeit at comparably low levels, and principally involves methadone, morphine and codeine, i.e. the main opioids medically prescribed. Synthesizing the evidence, New Zealand has not featured the distinct characteristics or system-level drivers that have facilitated the opioid epidemics as have unfolded in other jurisdictions. It appears that New Zealand may have all along engaged in the more measured opioid use practices that other jurisdictions have attempted to revert to post-hoc (but largely when too late) while experiencing extensive adverse consequences related to opioids. On this basis, New Zealand provides for a worthwhile comparative case study towards more moderate opioid utilization and control entailing relatively limited collateral harms (e.g., opioid mortality) on public health compared to elsewhere. Details and characteristics of New Zealand's approach to and experience with opioids should be further examined for future and other jurisdictions' benefit.

'Resurgent', 'twin' or 'silent' epidemic? A select data overview and observations on increasing psycho-stimulant use and harms in North America

In the early 2000s, increasing prevalence of psycho-stimulant (e.g., crack/cocaine, methamphetamine) use and related harms, including severe adverse health outcomes, was observed among - mostly marginalized - populations of persons using illicit drugs in North America, underscoring an urgent need for interventions options towards improved prevention and treatment. By about 2010, however, the 'opioid crisis', featuring unprecedented use and public health burden, had accelerated into full force in North America, largely muting attention to the psycho-stimulant issue until recently. Recent surveillance data on drug use and related mortality/morbidity from the present decade has documented a marked resurgence of psycho-stimulant use and harms especially in at-risk populations, commonly in direct combination with opioids, across North America, resulting in a 'twin epidemic' comprised of opioids and psycho-stimulants We briefly review select epidemiological data indicators for these developments from the United States and Canada; in the latter jurisdiction, related evidence has been less prevalent and systematic but corroborating the same trends. Evidently, the (widely ongoing) focus on the 'opioid epidemic' as a 'mono-type' drug problem has become an anachronism that requires urgent and appropriate correction. We then briefly consider existing, evidence-based options for - prevention and treatment - interventions targeting psycho-stimulant use and harms, which are substantially more limited and/or less efficacious than those available for problematic opioid use, while presenting major gaps and challenges. The observed resurgence of psycho-stimulants may, indirectly, relate to recent efforts towards curtailing (medical) opioid availability, thereby accelerating demand and supply for both illicit opioids and psycho-stimulants. The presently unfolding 'twin epidemic' of opioids and psycho-stimulants, combined with limited intervention resources, presents an acute challenge for public health and may crucially undermine actively extensive efforts to reduce opioid-related health harms in North America.

Increasing Trends in Opioid Use From 2010 to 2018 in the Region of Valencia, Spain: A Real-World, Population-Based Study

Background: The opioid epidemic has been extensively documented in the United States and Canada, but fewer data are available for Europe. Aim: To describe the trends in opioid use-volume of prescriptions, dosage and number of patients treated-in a Spanish population with more than 4.2 million inhabitants aged 18 years and older. Patients and Methods: Population-based cross-sectional analysis of opioid prescription in adults (≥18 years) from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018 in the region of Valencia, Spain. Outcomes were estimated on an annual basis: number of prescriptions, prescription rate per 100 inhabitants, dosage per capita (morphine mg equivalents, MME/c) and volume of patients treated (overall and by drug). Results: Over the study period, 2,107,756 unique patients were prescribed more than 35 million total treatments. The yearly number of treatments doubled, and total MME/c showed almost a threefold increase. Fentanyl MME/c more than tripled, accounting for 34.4% of the total MME/c in 2018. Oxycodone MME/c showed a 10-fold increase, while tapentadol, launched in 2011, showed the highest growth rates. The annual number of patients receiving at least one opioid prescription more than doubled, from 335,379 in 2010 to 722,838 in 2018. Conclusions: Even if proportions still seem far from epidemic, urgent research is warranted on the observed patterns of use, their appropriateness and their association with health and safety outcomes, especially for high-use and high-strength drugs.

‘Safer opioid distribution’ as an essential public health intervention for the opioid mortality crisis – Considerations, options and examples towards broad-based implementation

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Canada experiences excessive opioid mortality, mainly from toxic opioid exposure.

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Many interventions have been implemented, but are limited in reach and impact.

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‘Safer opioid distribution’ (SOD) is a crucial preventive measure for overdose.

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SOD needs to be implemented for a large, ‘at-risk’ opioid user population.

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Other community-based public health interventions may guide SOD organization.

Is medicinal ketamine associated with urinary dysfunction issues? Assessment of both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the UK Yellow Card Scheme pharmacovigilance database-related reports

OBJECTIVE

A range of ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU) issues have been typically described in ketamine misusers. Conversely, more knowledge is needed in terms of medicinal ketamine-related urological disturbances, since ketamine prescribing is being increasingly considered for a range of medical and psychopathological conditions.

METHODS

To assess medicinal KIU issues, we aimed at analyzing both the 2005-2017 European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the 2006-2018 UK Yellow Card Scheme (YCS) pharmacovigilance databases.

RESULTS

A total number (eg, all categories) of 11 632 EMA ketamine-related adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports were here identified. Out of these, some 9971 ADRs (eg, 85.7% of the total) were judged as "suspect" and were here analyzed. Some 1758 ADRs (17.7% of 9971, corresponding to 194 individual patients) referred to urological issues, relating to either kidney/ureter (922 ADRs) or bladder/urethra (837 ADRs). Ketamine was the sole drug administered in 156/194 (80.4%) cases/patients. Although most cases occurred in the 1 month-1 year time frame following the start of ketamine prescribing, in 30 cases the ADR occurred within 48 hours. Most ADR-related cases resolved, although both sequelae (18 cases) and fatalities (79/1758; 4.5%) were recorded. Overall, YCS data were consistent with EMA findings, with some 50/217 (23%) ADRs referring to renal/urinary disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Current data may only represent a gross underestimate of the KIU real prevalence issues. It is here suggested that chronic treatment involving higher doses/repeated exposure to ketamine be restricted to the context of controlled trials or clinical audits.

Some notes on the use, concept and socio-political framing of 'stigma' focusing on an opioid-related public health crisis

Canada has been home to a longstanding public health crisis related to opioids, including an extensive mortality and morbidity toll in the face of substantive intervention gaps. Recently (2019), two extensive reports from preeminent federal authorities - the Chief Public Health Officer and the Mental Health Commission of Canada - have been tabled with detailed, core focus on the phenomenon of 'stigma' and its impacts on substance/opioid use and harms. The reports present extensive descriptions of the nature and effects, as well as a multitude of prescriptions for remedial measures and actions to "stop the cycle of stigma". Closer reading of the documents, however, suggests substantial conceptual and empirical limitations in the characterization of the - multi-faceted and challenging - nature and workings of 'stigma' as a socio-political, structural or individual process or force, specifically as it applies to and negatively affects substance use and related outcomes, primarily the wellbeing of substance users. Concretely, it is unclear how the remedial actions proposed will materially alleviate stigma process and impacts, especially given apparent gaps in the issues examined, including essential strategies - for example, reform of drug user criminalization as a fundamental element and driver of structural stigma - for action that directly relate to the jurisdictions and privileged mandates of the report sources themselves as health and policy leaders. The commentary provides some concrete while subjective notes and observations on the dynamics of stigma as applies to and framed for substance/opioid use, as well as strategies and measures necessary to both tangibly address the material health and wellbeing of substance users, and related forces of stigma, in the distinct context of the opioid crisis in Canada.

Experiences of Clients in Three Types of Methadone Maintenance Therapy in an Atlantic Canadian City: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Methadone maintenance therapy remains the most common form of substitution therapy for opioid use disorder in Canada. Effectiveness of methadone maintenance therapy has been established, but recently newer treatment delivery models have emerged. Differences across these treatment models have not been examined.

PURPOSE

This descriptive qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to assess client experiences in three methadone maintenance therapy treatment delivery models: (a) comprehensive programs, (b) low-threshold/high-tolerance programs, and (c) fee-for-service programs.

METHODS

A total of 32 participants were recruited from methadone maintenance therapy clinics in an Atlantic Canadian city and grouped into three models of care (n_a = 9, n_b = 11, n_c = 12). Content analysis was performed on interview data to assess the frequency of relevant themes in the data.

RESULTS

Participants from all groups stressed the importance of supportive staff and having access to some form of counselling. However, low-threshold/high-tolerance and fee-for-service clients voiced a need for more formal counselling and programming at their clinics. Methadone was reported as the most helpful aspect of the methadone maintenance therapy programs; however, participants also expressed negative views about the substance.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have important implications for the development and implementation of methadone maintenance therapy, specifically pertaining to further integration of addiction and mental health services.

Engineering Approaches for Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in the Community

Many communities in the United States are struggling to deal with the negative consequences of illicit opioid use. Effectively addressing this epidemic requires the coordination and support of community stakeholders in a change process with common goals and objectives, continuous engagement with individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) through their treatment and recovery journeys, application of systems engineering principles to drive process change and sustain it, and use of a formal evaluation process to support a learning community that continuously adapts. This review presents strategies to improve OUD treatment and recovery with a focus on engineering approaches grounded in systems thinking.

The opioid mortality epidemic in North America: do we understand the supply side dynamics of this unprecedented crisis?

While there has been extensive attention to the 'demand side' - or use and adverse consequences, including mortality - of the 'opioid crisis' presently unfolding across North America, few considerations have focused on the supply side. This paper examines the supply side dynamics of this unprecedented public health phenomenon. We provide evidence for several interrelated supply-side elements that have contributed to the present public health crisis. We observe that initially, persistently high levels of prescription opioid availability and use exposed large proportions of the North American population to opioids, resulting in correspondingly high levels of medical and non-medical use (e.g., involving diversion). While various intervention measures to control prescription opioid availability and use have been implemented in recent years, leading to eventual reductions in opioid dispensing levels, these occurred late in the crisis's evolution. Moreover, these supply reductions have not been met by corresponding reductions in opioid use or demand levels. These growing discrepancies between opioid demand and prescription-based sources have left major gaps in opioid supplies. In response to such supply gaps, highly potent and toxic illicit opioid products have rapidly proliferated across North America, and become a core driver of the dramatic spikes in opioid overdose fatality levels in recent years. These supply-related interrelations are corroborated by a corresponding increase in illicit opioid-related fatalities, which arose just as medical opioid supplies began to decrease in many jurisdictions. Improved analyses and understanding of the supply-side dynamics of the opioid crisis are urgently needed in order to inform future intervention and policy development. Meanwhile, the high mortality toll related to illicit, highly toxic opioid exposure requires sustained solutions, including supply-oriented measures (e.g., safer opioid distribution for at-risk users) towards improved public health protection.

A decade of extreme oscillations in opioid control and availability: implications for public health in a Canadian setting

We comment on developments in and impacts of medical opioid control and availability in the province of British Columbia (Canada). Population-level dispensing of (strong) prescription opioids doubled in 2005-2011, yet subsequently declined by half 2011-2018 following implementation of various opioid control measures. Notwithstanding this inversion, BC has featured the highest population rates of opioid-related mortality and morbidity in Canada. The erratic opioid availability patterns presumably facilitated major increases in opioid misuse, morbidity, and mortality. Tangible benefits for pain care from increased medical opioid availability remain un-evidenced. Rather, recent decreases in medical opioid dispensing have not been matched by equivalent reductions in demand for (non-)medical use yet have coincided with widespread proliferation of toxic, illicit opioid supply and related major increases in opioid-related mortality. These developments appear to have undermined rather than benefitted public health and offer a poignant case study in ineffective psychotropic drug control and public health policy towards preventing similar experiences elsewhere.

Correlations between opioid mortality increases related to illicit/synthetic opioids and reductions of medical opioid dispensing - exploratory analyses from Canada

Background

North America has been experiencing a persistent epidemic of opioid-related overdose mortality, which has increasingly been driven by fatalities from illicit, toxic opioids in most recent years. Patterns of synthetic opioid availability and related mortality are heterogeneous across Canada, and differing explanations exist as to their differentiated proliferation. We examined the perspective that heterogeneous province-based variations in prescription opioid availability, facilitated by various control strategies, post-2010 may have created regionally differential supply gaps for non-medical opioid use substituted by synthetic opioid products with differential impacts on mortality risks and outcomes in Canada.

Methods

We examined annual, prescription opioid dispensing rates and changes in the ten Canadian provinces (for the periods of 1) 2011–2018, 2) ‘peak-year’-to-2018) in Defined Daily Doses/1000 population/day, derived from data from a large representative, stratified sample of community pharmacies projected to a Canada total. Annual, provincial opioid-related mortality rates and changes for years 2016–2018 were calculated from federal data. We computed correlation values (Pearson’s R) between respective province-based change rates for prescription opioid dispensing and opioid-related mortality for the two over-time scenarios.

Results

All but one province featured reductions in prescription opioid dispensing 2011–2018; seven of the ten provinces had increases in opioid mortality 2016–2018. The correlation between changes in opioid dispensing (2011–2018) and in opioid-mortality (2016–2018) was r = 0.63 (df = 8, p-value: 0.05); the correlation was r = 0.57 (df = 8, p-value: 0.09) for changes in opioid dispensing ‘peak year’-to-2018, respectively.

Conclusions

Quasi-significant results indicate that recent increases in opioid-related deaths driven by illicit, synthetic opioids tended to be larger in provinces where reductions in prescription opioid availability have been more extensive. It is a plausible explanation that these reductions created supply gaps for non-medical opioid use increasingly filled by illicit, synthetic opioids differentially contributing to opioid-related deaths, generating un-intended adverse effects for previous interventions. General prevention measures to reduce opioid availability, and targeted prevention for at-risk opioid users exposed to toxic drug supply may be include counteractive effects and require coordinated reconciliation.

Estimating the Prevalence of Opioid use Disorder in the Cincinnati Region using Probabilistic Multiplier Methods and Model Averaging

BACKGROUND

Opioid use disorder (OUD) and its consequences have strained the resources of health, social, and criminal justice services in the Cincinnati region. However, understanding of the potential number of people suffering from OUD is limited. Little robust and reliable information quantifies the prevalence and there is often great variation between individual estimates of prevalence. In other fields such as meteorology, finance, sports, and politics, model averaging is commonly employed to improve estimates and forecasts. The objective of this study was to apply a model averaging approach to estimate the number of individuals with OUD in the Cincinnati region.

METHODS

Three individual probabilistic simulation models were developed to estimate the number of OUD individuals in the Cincinnati Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA). The models used counts of overdose deaths, non-fatal overdoses, and treatment admissions as benchmark data. A systematic literature review was performed to obtain the multiplier data for each model. The three models were averaged to generate single estimate and confidence band of the prevalence of OUD.

RESULTS

This study estimated 15 067 (SE 1556) individuals with OUD in the Cincinnati CBSA (2 165 139 total population). Based on these results, we estimate the prevalence of OUD to be between 13 507 (0.62% of population) and 16 620 (0.77% of population).

CONCLUSIONS

The method proposed herein has been shown in diverse fields to mitigate some of the uncertainty associated with reliance on a single model. Further, the simplicity of the method described is easily replicable by community health centers, first-responders, and social services to estimate capacity needs supported by OUD estimates for the region they serve.