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TORONTO, January 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Reformulary Group, a Canadian healthcare technology company, today released a report on opioid prescription in Canada. The report badyzes data from more than six million prescription Canadians who submitted a drug claim between 2013 and 2017 to reduce the impact of prescription opioids on the health and safety of all Canadians.
The report entitled The prescription of opioids in Canada and its potential contribution to the opioid crisis, badyzes how opioids are prescribed to Canadians, the opioid dosage compared to the recommendations of Canadian experts and the use of opioids with other treatments. Reformulary Group has leveraged its unique data set of public and private prescription data to perform the badysis.
In Canada, eleven people die each day because of opioids and 92% of deaths are due to an accidental overdose of opioids.1 In 2017, an average of 17 Canadians were hospitalized due to opioid intoxication. Opioid mischief and death can be caused by prescription or illegal opioids.
"The opioid crisis is a heartbreaking epidemic that does not discriminate," said Helen Stevenson, CEO of Reformulary Group. "People from all walks of life, from all age groups and from all socio-economic backgrounds are affected. Through this badysis, we hope to work with partners to develop innovative strategies and address the impact of prescription opioids on the health and safety of Canadians. "
Here are some of the key findings:
- In Canada, an opioid is prescribed for an opioid between one and five public plan providers and between one and six private plan providers.
- Chronic users of opioids account for about 21% of all opioid users and about 64% of all opioid prescriptions.
- People aged 25 to 44, followed by those aged 45 to 64, use the highest doses of opioids – both age groups use well above the maximum recommended dose in 2017 Canadian Opioid Guidelines for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain the maximum dose of 90 mg per day.
- Each year, people receiving lower doses continue to increase their doses. Each year about 10% of patients exceed the 50 mg threshold and 4% exceed the 90 mg threshold.
- The 2017 Canadian Guidelines strongly discourage the simultaneous use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative commonly prescribed to relieve anxiety or insomnia. These drugs are badociated with a higher risk of harmful effects related to opioids when they are taken with opioids. Nevertheless, one in six public plan applicants (16%) and one in 10 (10%) private plan applicants on chronic opioid treatment were also taking chronic benzodiazepine therapy.
"Prescribing high-dose opioids (such as oxycodone, hydromorphone, and fentanyl) for chronic pain is a dangerous practice that can easily harm patients, even if it seems to help." said Dr. David Juurlink, chief of clinical pharmacology. and the toxicology division of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. "Unfortunately, countless patients have been trapped at high doses over the past two decades. The new prescribing guidelines are intended to help by encouraging smarter prescribing, including avoiding a gradual increase in the dose for patients starting opioid therapy and gradually decreasing doses for those already taking high doses. "
The link between opioid prescriptions and opioid-related deaths
A recently published study badessed the link between opioid prescriptions and opioid-related deaths in Ontario between 2013 and 2016. During the study, 2,833 deaths were identified and approximately one-third of these deaths occurred in Ontario. people had an active prescription of opioids the date of their death.2
Adverse effects badociated with opioids (for example, some adverse effects, overdose, overdose-related deaths) are related to opioid dosage. Using the morphine equivalent baday (MED), the Reformulary Group badysis compared the relative dosage of the most commonly used opioids.
Some positive signs of dose reduction among payers have been observed. There has been a decrease in the dose in the top 25% of prescriptions between 2013 and 2017. However, a significant number of chronic opioid requesters take a daily dose greater than the 90 mg dose recommended by the Guideline.
By setting clear goals at the start of treatment, health professionals may consider gradually reducing the use of opioids in patients if they do not achieve their goals rather than increase them. continually doses of opioids.
"This new report from the Reformulary Group highlights areas for significant improvement for health professionals and policymakers in dealing with the crisis," said Mike Boivin, clinical pharmacist and report contributor. "While illicit opioids are probably the largest component of opioid-related harm in Canada, this report provides us with some well-defined opportunities to focus our resources on reducing the burden of opioid use in Canada." ;order."
For complete badysis of prescription opioids, click right here.
About the Reformulary Group
Founded in 2011, the Reformulary Group is an expert-led health technology company that helps Canadians and businesses make wise drug and medical cannabis choices and ensure the sustainability of their plans. The company's exclusive list, Reformulary®, is a subscription-based service to Canadian employers. The Reformulary provides physicians and nurse practitioners with valuable comparative drug information, reviewed and verified by an independent committee of physicians and pharmacists from across Canada. DrugFinder ™, the company's award-winning company, provides reliable information for patients to make informed drug choices. Reformulary Group has also developed Cannabis Standard, a digital platform that provides guidelines for the use of cannabis for medical purposes based on evidence and expert advice. Cannabis Standard allows Canadians to make smart choices about medical cannabis. For more information, visit www.reformulary.com.
Media contact:
Terance Brouse, MAVERICK
O: 416.640.5525 x 228
M: 647-667-7524
E: [email protected]
1 Health Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information. The harms of opioids in Canada. Ottawa: Government of Canada; 2018. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/sc-hc/HP35-110-2018-eng.pdf. Accessed November 30, 2018
2 Gomes, T., Khuu, W., Martins, D. et al. Contributions of prescribed and non-prescribed opioids to opioid-related deaths: population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada. BMJ. 2018; 362: k3207. doi: 10.1136 / bmj.k3207
A PDF file accompanying this announcement is available at the following address: http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/65ba3cb5-2064-4ab2-9a20-6ab7bd09381d.
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