[Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/opioid-drugs-5-regulation-opioid-access... ]
Thanks, Nick, for your contribution.
You've brought two important issues to our attention, which we'll certainly be addressing in the coming weeks:
- The availability of legitimate opioids for pain relief, and how this relates (or doesn't relate) to existing regulations in different countries.
You raise an excellent question: How can we provide adequate access to those who need them while applying appropriate restrictions to prevent abuse?
- The role of pharmaceutical marketing and the potential for abuse of these drugs.
According to a PAHO report, there is consistent evidence of opioid undertreatment in Latin America, and Uruguay is no exception, despite the advances in palliative care seen in recent decades.
Opioids are available for medical use in Uruguay, so that wouldn't be the cause. This deficit could be due to:
- Restrictive regulation and administrative burden: Bureaucratic burden for prescribers.
- Cultural barriers (opioid phobia): Some healthcare professionals and family members fear addiction and the side effects of opioids.
- Insufficient professional training: Highly focused on specialists, not on primary care.
- Inequality in access to palliative care: There is better access in specialized centers and palliative care teams compared to primary care.
It would be helpful to know the situation in different countries.
Kind regards,
Eduardo
Eduardo Bianco, MD, MSc, BIR
ATHP Director
Addiction Training for Health Professionals <https://athp.nextgenu.org/>
Email: ebianco@nextgenu.org
HIFA profile: Eduardo Bianco is a medical doctor and Cardiologist, Certified Tobacco Cessation Expert with a Master's in Prevention and Treatment of Addictive Disorders. Bianco also has a degree in International Relations. Currently, he is Director of International Policy Education in Addictions of the Frank Foundation for International Health and Member of the Interim Policy Committee of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC). He had a prominent role in promoting smoking cessation, tobacco control, WHO-FCTC implementation and NCD control in his country (Uruguay) as well as in Latin America for over 25 years. Bianco participated directly in most of the development process of the WHO-Framework Convention on Tobacco control and in the Sessions of the Conference of the Parties to this treaty. He was Director or Tobacco Control Program of InterAmerican Heart Foundation, Regional Coordinator for the Americas of the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Chair of the Tobacco Expert Group of the World Heart Federation and Technical Director of the MOH Center for International Cooperation for Tobacco as well as Founder and Former President of the Tobacco Epidemic Research Center (CIET) in Uruguay. Eduardo helps coordinate the HIFA working group on substance use disorders. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/eduardo