Oxycontin drop
July 16, 2014
THE Sydney Medically Supervised
Injecting Centre (Sydney MSIC) has
said preliminary data has shown
overall there was a “very distinct
reduction” in Oxycontin injection
onsite and numbers were still
trending downwards.
The new tamper-proof
formulation of Oxycontin was
introduced in April (PD 03 Jun) and
in a letter published by ABC, Sydney
MSIC medical director Dr Marianne
Jauncey said where the centre used
to have around 800 visits or more
per week for Oxycontin injection, it
now had in the order of 50.
However it was seeing an increase
in other drug use, including
morphine, heroin and fentanyl.
Average weekly visits for heroin
injection rose from 236 in the
nine weeks to March to 324 in the
13 weeks from April to June, and
morphine numbers rose from 48
to 146.
Heroin and fentanyl carried higher
overdose risks than Oxycontin,
and the Centre had seen rates of
overdose increase onsite, she said.
This data appeared consistent
with overseas data but there was
no easy answer to the question of
the best way forward in relation
to the availability or otherwise of
generic Oxycodone in Australia, she
said.
Only immediate data was
available and evidence needed
to continue to be collected to
determine longer term impacts,
and trends needed to stabilise
before assumptions could be made
about longer term implications,she
said, and the National Opioid
Medications Abuse Deterrence
(NOMAD) study could help.
Mundipharma medical affairs
director Christine Smith said the
company supported the NOMAD
study which would show the
situation in Australia.
US data published in
Pharmacoepidemiology and drug
safety said reports of death by
Oxycontin tablets decreased by
82% following reformulation.
The National Drug and Alcohol
Research Centre said it was in the
process of evaluating the tamper
proof format.
To read the letter, CLICK HERE.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 16 Jul 14To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 16 Jul 14
