Private prescribing of controlled opioids in England, 2014-2021: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Trends in NHS opioid prescribing have been well published, yet trends in private prescribing of opioids have not been widely established. AIM: To assess trends and geographical variation in controlled opioids prescribed by private prescribers in England. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a retrospective observational study in English primary health care. METHOD: Data on Schedule 2 and 3 controlled opioids ('controlled opioids') were obtained from the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) using Freedom of Information (FOI) requests between 1 January 2014 and 30 November 2021. Absolute counts and rates of the number of items dispensed per cumulative number of registered private prescribers were calculated and stratified over time, by opioid type, and geographical region. RESULTS: This study found that 128 341 items of controlled opioids were prescribed by private prescribers in England between January 2014 and November 2021, which decreased by 50% from 23 339 items (4.09 items/prescriber) in 2014 to 11 573 items (1.49 items/prescriber) in 2020. Methadone (36%, n = 46 660) was the most common controlled opioid prescribed privately, followed by morphine (18%, n = 22 543), buprenorphine (16%, n = 20 521), and oxycodone (12%, n = 15 319). Prescriptions were highest in London (74%, n = 94 438), followed by the South-East of England (7%, n = 9237). A proportion of items (n = 462; 0.36%) were prescribed by 'unidentified doctors' where the prescription is not readily attributable to an individual prescriber by the BSA. CONCLUSION: Controlled opioids prescribed by private prescribers in England decreased and were primarily prescribed in London. To ensure patient safety, the monitoring and surveillance of controlled opioids dispensed privately should continue and items linked to 'unidentified doctors' should be addressed further.

Impact of Policy Interventions on Oxycodone Prescribing in Queensland, Australia: An Uncontrolled Interrupted Time Series Study.

INTRODUCTION: Opioid prescribing rates are continuing to increase in Australia in line with prescribing rates seen internationally. Prescribing limits are one policy strategy to reduce short-term opioid prescribing, but there is limited evidence of their impact. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of state and national policy interventions on changes to oxycodone 5 mg discharge prescriptions in public hospitals using electronic prescribing in Queensland, Australia by evaluating the proportion of oxycodone 5 mg discharge prescriptions written for ≤ 10 tablets across the study period. METHOD: This research utilised a retrospective uncontrolled interrupted time-series design and was undertaken at 12 public hospitals using electronic prescribing from December 2018 to February 2021. The study analysed the impact of two sequential policy interventions that limited the recommended quantity of oxycodone 5 mg on discharge for all hospitalised patients. The first state-wide policy came into effect on 19 September 2019 and the second national policy came into effect on 1 June 2020. RESULTS: Over the 27-month period, there were 110,728 discharge prescriptions written in the 12 Queensland hospitals for oxycodone 5 mg. During the baseline period, approximately 50.7% (95% CI 49.5-51.8) of all oxycodone 5 mg prescriptions were from tablet quantities of ≤ 10 tablets. After the implementation of the state-wide policy, the proportion increased by 9% (95% CI 7.4-10.7; p = 0.001). The implementation of the national policy increased the proportion of oxycodone 5 mg prescriptions written for ≤10 tablets by 9.8% (95% CI 8.1-11.5; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Restrictive prescribing policies at a state and national level may have resulted in decreased quantities of oxycodone 5 mg prescriptions provided on discharge from public hospitals using electronic prescribing in Queensland, Australia. Despite these positive results, continued multi-faceted policy efforts and individual tailored interventions are necessary to ensure safe and judicious opioid prescribing.

A 13-Year National Monitoring Study to Assess Narcotic Prescriptions and Indications (2007-2019).

INTRODUCTION: Analgesics are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. This study describes the population treated with narcotic analgesics, their therapeutic indications and how the data have evolved over a decade. METHODS: A cross-sectional, national, multicentre survey study was conducted that included surveys taken every year from 2007 to 2019 in a national sample of 1500 randomly selected dispensing pharmacies. RESULTS: The mean age of patients, mostly women (around 60%), remained stable over the study period (63.2 ± 17.1 years in 2007, 68.2 ± 17.2 years in 2019). The proportion of patients treated for more than 3 months increased from 2007 to 2019. Most prescriptions involved morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl (98.5% of all prescriptions in 2019). Morphine prescriptions dropped dramatically from 49.6% (2007) to 32.3% (2019) of the total narcotic analgesics. Fentanyl prescriptions varied from 40.1% in 2007 to 32.2% in 2019. Prescriptions of oxycodone, regardless of the indication, increased steadily from 2007, from 8.3 to 34% in 2019, becoming the most prescribed narcotic analgesic for the first time since the beginning of the survey. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates how narcotic opioids are prescribed, thanks to the active participation of health professionals, and confirms the striking increase in the prescription of oxycodone.

Assessment of Opioid Use and Analgesic Requirements After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The opioid epidemic has generated interest in optimizing opioid prescribing after common surgeries. Recent studies have shown a broad range of analgesic prescription patterns following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Objective: To compare the efficacy of different analgesic regimens after ESS. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multi-institutional, nonblinded randomized clinical trial was conducted at 6 tertiary centers across the US and Canada and included participants who underwent ESS for acute or chronic rhinosinusitis. The study was conducted from March 2019 to March 2020, and the data were analyzed in November to December 2020. Interventions: All participants received acetaminophen, 650 mg, as the first-line analgesic. From there, patients were randomized to either oxycodone rescue (oxycodone, 5 mg, as second-line therapy) or ibuprofen rescue (ibuprofen, 600 mg, as second-line therapy, with oxycodone, 5 mg, reserved for breakthrough pain). Main Outcomes and Measures: Baseline characteristics and disease severity were collected at enrollment. Medication logs, pain scores, and epistaxis measures were collected until postoperative day 7. The primary outcome was the postoperative visual analog scale score for pain. Brief Pain Inventory Pain Severity and Pain Interference Scores were also collected. Results: A total of 118 patients were randomized (62 [52.5%] oxycodone rescue, 56 [47.5%] ibuprofen rescue; mean [SD] age, 46.7 [16.3] years; 44 women [44.0%]; 83 White [83.0%], 7 Black [7.0%], and 7 Asian individuals [7.0%]). After exclusions for loss to follow-up and noncompliance, 51 remained in the oxycodone rescue group and 49 in the ibuprofen rescue group. The groups had similar demographic characteristics and disease severity. Thirty-two (63%) in the oxycodone rescue group had adequate pain management with acetaminophen only, while 19 (37%) consumed at least 1 oxycodone dose. In the ibuprofen rescue group, 18 (16%) required only acetaminophen, 28 (57%) used only acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and the remaining 13 (26%) consumed 1 or more oxycodone doses. The groups had similar average acetaminophen (9.69 vs 7.96 doses; difference, 1.73; 95% CI, -1.37 to 4.83) and oxycodone (1.89 vs 0.77 doses; difference, 1.13; 95% CI, -0.11 to 2.36) use. Both groups had similar postoperative visual analog scale scores. A subanalysis that compared opioids users with nonusers showed clinically significant lower pain scores in nonusers at multiple postoperative points. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, most patients who underwent ESS could be treated postoperatively using a nonopioid regimen of either acetaminophen alone or acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Ibuprofen as a second-line therapy did not reduce overall narcotic consumption, but the overall narcotic use was low in both groups. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03783702.

Opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina) para o tratamento de dor crônica / Strong opioids (fentanyl, oxycodone and buprenorphine) for the treatment of chronic pain

INTRODUÇÃO: Considera-se que, no Brasil, a dor crônica seja umas das principais razões de atendimento ambulatorial da dor. A dor crônica pode estar associada a diferentes agravos e ter um ou vários componentes. Considera-se que a percepção da dor é diferente para pacientes com a mesma doença, variando em sofrimento de acordo com sexo, raça, cultura, e história pessoal. Quatro grandes grupos serão abordados no presente relatório, a saber, dor crônica oncológica, musculoesquelética (dor de osteoartrite, dor lombar), neuropática e dor não oncológica ou não específica. Os opioides continuam sendo o padrão ouro pelo qual os outros analgésicos clinicamente efetivos são medidos. Para a dor moderada a grave, os opioides fortes podem ser considerados primeira linha. Os opioides fortes padronizados pela Relação Nacional de Medicamentos Essenciais (RENAME) são a morfina e a metadona. Os especialistas presentes na reunião de escopo da atualização do PCDT da Dor Crônica propuseram a avaliação dos medicamentos fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina. TECNOLOGIA: Opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina). PERGUNTA: Os opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina) são eficazes, seguros e custo-efetivos no tratamento de pacientes adultos com dor crônica, quando comparados aos medicamentos atualmente disponíveis no SUS para esta indicação? EVIDÊNCIAS CLÍNICAS: Por meio da pergunta PICO, foram realizadas buscas nas plataformas Medline (PUBMED) e EMBASE. Foram encontradas 8.873 publicações e, ao final, foram incl

Opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina) para o tratamento de dor crônica / Strong opioids (fentanyl, oxycodone and buprenorphine) for the treatment of chronic pain

O QUE É DOR CRÔNICA?: A dor crônica é aquela que persiste por um período igual ou superior a três meses. No Brasil, de todas as pessoas que buscam atendimento ambulatorial por causa de dor, entre 28% e 76% se referem a quadros de dor crônica. Essa dor acaba trazendo não apenas sofrimento físico, mas também psicológico, podendo comprometer a qualidade de vida, gerar incapacitação, ansiedade e depressão. COMO OS PACIENTES COM DOR CRÔNICA SÃO TRATADOS NO SUS? O PCDT (Protocolo Clínico e Diretrizes Terapêuticas) da Dor Crônica, publicado em 2012, indica o tratamento farmacológico para os diferentes tipos de dores de acordo com uma escala em degraus numéricos, que correspondem a uma determinada combinação de medicamentos. MEDICAMENTOS ANALISADOS: OPIOIDES FORTES (FENTANILA, OXICODONA E BUPRENORFINA): Os opioides são substâncias químicas que atuam em uma área do cérebro chamada sistema nervoso central e possuem potentes propriedades analgésicas. Os opioides fortes atualmente disponíveis no SUS são a morfina e a metadona. Motivada pela atualização do PCDT da Dor Crônica, a Secretaria de Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação e Insumos Estratégicos em Saúde, do Ministério da Saúde (SCTIE/MS), demandou a incorporação dos opioides fortes fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina para o tratamento de pacientes com dor crônica no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). PERSPECTIVA DO PACIENTE: As chamadas públicas para participar da Perspectiva do Paciente sobre os temas de dor crônica foram abertas em dois períodos distintos: de 13/01/2021 a 17/01/2021 e de 19/01/2021 a 02/02/2021. As quatro chamadas públicas abertas tiveram um total de 32 inscrições. A indicação dos representantes titular e suplente foi feita a partir de consenso entre o grupo de inscritos. RECOMENDAÇÃO INICIAL DA CONITEC: A Conitec recomendou inicialmente a não incorporação dos opioides fortes fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina no SUS para o tratamento de dor crônica. Esse tema foi discutido durante a 97ª reunião ordinária da Comissão, realizada nos dias 05 e 06 de maio de 2021. Na ocasião, o Plenário considerou que os resultados das análises não mostraram diferença significante entre os medicamentos mencionados e aqueles disponíveis atualmente no SUS, seja em termos de eficácia ou de segurança. O assunto esteve disponível na consulta pública nº 44, durante 20 dias, no período de 27/05/2021 a 15/06/2021, para receber contribuições da sociedade (opiniões, sugestões e críticas) sobre o tema. RESULTADO DA CONSULTA PÚBLICA: Foram recebidas 65 contribuições, sendo 30 de natureza técnico-científica e 35 de experiência ou opinião. As contribuições abordaram principalmente a necessidade de incorporação dos opióides fortes para dor oncológica. Os resultados da consulta pública, no entanto, não foram suficientes para alterar o entendimento do plenário e a recomendação inicial, desfavorável à incorporação, foi mantida. RECOMENDAÇÃO FINAL DA CONITEC: O Plenário da Conitec, em sua 99ª Reunião Ordinária, no dia 01 de julho de 2021, deliberou por unanimidade recomendar a não incorporação dos opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina) para o tratamento de dor crônica, pois entendeu que as contribuições da consulta pública não trouxeram elementos suficientes para promover a mudança da recomendação preliminar, que ficou mantida. DECISÃO FINAL: Com base na recomendação da Conitec, o secretário de Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação e Insumos Estratégicos em Saúde do Ministério da Saúde, no uso de suas atribuições legais, decidiu pela não incorporação, no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS, dos opioides fortes (fentanila, oxicodona e buprenorfina) para o tratamento de dor crônica.

Oxycodone versus morphine for cancer pain titration: A systematic review and pharmacoeconomic evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of Oxycodone Hydrochloride Controlled-release Tablets (CR oxycodone) and Morphine Sulfate Sustained-release Tablets (SR morphine) for moderate to severe cancer pain titration. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria were searched through Medline, Cochrane Library, Pubmed, EMbase, CNKI,VIP and WanFang database from the data of their establishment to June 2019. The efficacy and safety data were extracted from the included literature. The pain control rate was calculated to eatimate efficacy. Meta-analysis was conducted by Revman5.1.4. A decision tree model was built to simulate cancer pain titration process. The initial dose of CR oxycodone and SR morphine group were 20mg and 30mg respectively. Oral immediate-release morphine was administered to treat break-out pain. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was performed with TreeAge Pro 2019. RESULTS: 19 studies (1680 patients)were included in this study. Meta-analysis showed that the pain control rate of CR oxycodone and SR morphine were 86% and 82.98% respectively. The costs of CR oxycodone and SR morphine were $23.27 and $13.31. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per unit was approximate $329.76. At the willingness-to-pay threshold of $8836, CR oxycodone was cost-effective, while the corresponding probability of being cost-effective at the willingness-to-pay threshold of $300 was 31.6%. One-way sensitivity analysis confirmed robustness of results. CONCLUSIONS: CR oxycodone could be a cost-effective option compared with SR morphine for moderate to severe cancer pain titration in China, according to the threshold defined by the WHO.

Medical Use of Long-term Extended-release Opioid Analgesics in Commercially Insured Adults in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the proportion of patients initiating extended-release (ER) opioids who become long-term users and describe how pain-related diagnoses before initiation of opioid therapy vary between drugs and over time. METHODS: Using MarketScan (2006-2015), a US national commercial insurance database, we examined pain-related diagnoses in the 182-day baseline period before initiation of ER opioid therapy to characterize indications for opioid initiation. We report the proportion who became long-term users, the median length of opioid therapy, and the proportion with cancer and other noncancer chronic pain, by active ingredient. RESULTS: Among 1,077,566 adults initiating ER opioids, 31% became long-term users, with a median length of use of 209 days. The most common ER opioids prescribed were oxycodone (26%) and fentanyl (23%), and the most common noncancer pain diagnoses were back pain (65%) and arthritis (48%). Among all long-term users, 16% had a diagnosis of cancer. We found notable variation by drug. Eighteen percent of patients initiating drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration >10 years ago had evidence of cancer during baseline compared with only 8% of patients who received newer drugs. CONCLUSIONS: In a national sample of adults with private insurance, back pain was the most common diagnosis preceding initiation of opioid therapy. Opioids that have been approved within the last 10 years were more frequently associated with musculoskeletal pains and less frequently associated with cancer. Amid increasing concerns regarding long-term opioid therapy, our findings provide context regarding the conditions for which long-term opioid therapy is prescribed.

Both Race and Insurance Type Independently Predict the Selection of Oral Opioids Prescribed to Cancer Outpatients.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that racial disparities in patients' reported analgesic adverse effects are partially mediated by the type of opioid prescribed to African Americans despite the presence of certain comorbidities, such as renal disease. AIMS: We aimed to identify independent predictors of the type of opioid prescribed to cancer outpatients and determine if race and chronic kidney disease independently predict prescription type, adjusting for relevant sociodemographic and clinical confounders. DESIGN: We conducted a secondary analysis of a 3-month observational study. SETTING: Outpatient oncology clinics of an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS: Patients were older than 18 years of age, self-identified as African American or White, and had an analgesic prescription for cancer pain. METHODS: Cancer patients (N = 241) were recruited from outpatient oncology clinics within a large mid-Atlantic healthcare system. RESULTS: Consistent with published literature, most patients (75.5%) were prescribed either morphine or oxycodone preparations as oral opioid therapy for cancer pain. When compared with Whites, African Americans were significantly more likely to be prescribed morphine (33% vs 14%) and less likely to be prescribed oxycodone (38% vs 64%) (p < .001). The estimated odds for African Americans to receive morphine were 2.573 times that for Whites (95% confidence interval 1.077-6.134) after controlling for insurance type, income, and pain levels. In addition, the presence of private health insurance was negatively associated with the prescription of morphine and positively associated with prescription of oxycodone in separate multivariable models. The presence of chronic kidney disease did not predict type of analgesic prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: Both race and insurance type independently predict type of opioid selection for cancer outpatients. Larger clinical studies are needed to fully understand the sources and clinical consequences of racial differences in opioid selection for cancer pain.

Oxicodona para el manejo del dolor oncológico / Oxycodone for the management of cancer pain

INTRODUCCIÓN: El dolor oncológico es generalmente crónico, de origen inflamatorio o neuropático, y se caracteriza por un realce de la sensación del dolor a los estímulos nociceptivos. A. Cuadro clínico: No representa una entidad clínica única y homogénea y su inadecuado manejo puede comportar graves consecuencias físicas, psicoafectivas y económicas tanto para el paciente como para su entorno familiar, profesional, así como de los servicios de salud. Los enfermos con dolor severo oncológico necesitan tratamiento con opioides mayores como la morfina, fentanilo, oxicodona, entre otros. B. Tecnología sanitaria: La oxicodona es un analgésico opioide semi-sintetico, ampliamente usado en la práctica clínica. Es un agonista total con afinidad para receptores mu (µ) y kappa (k) sin dosis techo. Está considerado dentro de los opioides potentes junto con la morfina con el cual comparte una similar estructura, así como su solubilidad, pero se le atribuye un inicio de acción más rápido debido en parte a su agonismo k medular, añadido al ya conocido µ compartido con la morfina. Su potencia analgésica dependería de la vía de administración, ya que se le atribuye un rango 0,7-1,3 mayor que la morfina vía endovenosa a diferencia de su utilización subcutánea, intramuscular o rectal. OBJETIVO: Evaluar la eficacia y seguridad, así como documentos relacionados a la decisión de cobertura de oxicodona para manejo de dolor oncológico. METODOLOGÍA: Se realizó una búsqueda en las principales bases de datos bibliográficas: MEDLINE, LILACS, COCHRANE, así como en buscadores genéricos de Internet incluyendo Google Scholar y TRIPDATABASE. Adicionalmente, se hizo una búsqueda dentro de la información generada por las principales instituciones internacionales de oncología y agencias de tecnologías sanitarias que realizan revisiones sistemáticas (RS), evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC). RESULTADOS: Se seleccionaron una RS y dos ECAs de fecha posterior a la RS. Adicionalmente se seleccionaron tres GPC. No se encontraron ETS o evaluaciones económicas de la región. CONCLUSIONES: La evidencia con respecto a oxicodona es abundante y de moderada calidad metodológica. Basado en una RS, oxicodona muestra diversos resultados de acuerdo al comparador de interés. Si bien se encuentra que en algún análisis comparado con morfina de liberación controlada sería menos beneficioso, sin embargo, en el análisis de sensibilidad se encuentra que no hay diferencias con respecto al manejo del dolor entre estas dos comparaciones. Por otro lado, un ECA incluido mostró que la morfina de liberación controlada presentaba mayor frecuencia de necesidad de terapia de rescate que nuestra tecnología de interés. Con respecto a eventos adversos, no se encontraron diferencias significativas, aparte de la frecuencia de alucinaciones que se mostró significativamente menor en el tratamiento con oxicodona de liberación controlada. Basado en dos ECAs posteriores se evidenció que oxicodona no presentó diferencias en el manejo del dolor comparado con hidromorfona, pero se mostró superior comparado con morfina. En general las GPC consideran a oxicodona como una opción de tratamiento para el manejo de dolor oncológico moderado a severo sin mencionar a esta tecnología como superior por sobre otra.

Prescription Opioid Use among Pregnant Women Enrolled in Rhode Island Medicaid.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify patterns of opioid use among pregnant women enrolled in RI Medicaid. METHODS: This study used linked RI Medicaid and RI Birth Certificate data from 01/01/2006 to 12/31/2016. We examined temporal trends of prescription opioid dispensings and identified risk factors associated with opioids use during pregnancy. RESULTS: Among 25,500 RI Medicaid enrolled pregnant women who delivered a live baby from 2008 to 2016, 1,914 (7.5%) received at least one prescription for an opioid medication during pregnancy, 810 (3.2%) were during the first trimester, 633 (2.5%) during the second trimester, and 866 (3.4%) during the third trimester. Of these, 213 (0.8%) women received 3 or more opioids during pregnancy. The prevalence of prescription opioids dispensed in pregnant women increased from 4.9% in 2008 to 9.6% in 2015 (ß±SD: 0.66±0.28, P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription opioid use during pregnancy has increased among women enrolled in RI Medicaid.

[Increase in opioid prescribing in extramural care in the Netherlands: assessment of use and prescription behaviour, based on claims data]. / Toename in extramuraal opioïdgebruik in Nederland.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the trends in extramural prescription of opioids in the Netherlands. DESIGN: Descriptive, retrospective research based on claims data of Dutch health insurers. METHOD: For each healthcare-insured Dutch resident we selected claims data for all opioids, except codeine and buprenorphine, for the period 2010-2017. We calculated the total numbers of opioid and oxycodone users, and stratified these numbers by age and sex. The average number of prescribed Defined Daily Doses (DDD), the chronicity of use, the type of prescriber, and regional patterns in opioid use were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 3,655,265 different insured persons used opioids during the research period. The yearly number of opioid users increased from 650,864 in 2010 to 1,010,474 in 2017. This increase was mainly driven by an increase in oxycodone prescriptions. Elderly and female patients were more frequent users of opioids. The ratio of short- versus long-term opioid users remained steady during the research period, with opioids being used for four months or longer in 21% of cases. General practitioners prescribed 82% of the DDDs of all opioids in 2017. The percentage of DDDs of oxycodone prescribed by medical specialists increased from 2.8% in 2010 to 14.2% in 2017. CONCLUSION: Opioid use is increasing in the Netherlands, but the long-term vs short-term use ratio has not changed in recent years. General practitioners prescribe the largest share of opioids, but a growing number of prescriptions originates from medical specialists.

Prescribing Trends of Codeine-containing Medications and Other Opioids in Primary Care After A Regulatory Decision: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 2014, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) amended the summary of product characteristics of codeine-containing medications limiting their use for maximum three days. This study attempted to clarify the impact of AIFA intervention on prescribing trends and appropriateness of use of codeine-containing medications and other opioids. METHODS: Using the Health Search Database, a quasi-experimental interrupted time series analysis was conducted to evaluate changes in prescribing trends and appropriateness of use of codeine-containing medications and opioids between 2013 and 2015. RESULTS: Prescribing trends of codeine-containing medications significantly decreased (on average, - 352 days of treatment per month of observation), while long-acting opioids (LAOs) had an overall increase. Trends of inappropriate prescriptions significantly increased for two LAOs (i.e. tapentadol, naloxone-oxycodone), both before and after AIFA intervention. CONCLUSION: The use of paracetamol-codeine combination was effectively decreased in Italy because of AIFA intervention. Instead, prescriptions of tapentadol and oxycodone-naloxone stably increased over the study period irrespective of regulatory intervention. Given that the choice of the most appropriate opioid therapy is not straightforward, especially in elderly and/or comorbid patients, general practitioners should consider carefully alternative therapies on the bases of regulatory interventions.

Affecting emergency department oxycodone discharge prescribing: An educational intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of an educational intervention for ED prescribers on discharge oxycodone prescribing both for the number of oxycodone prescriptions per 1000 discharged patients, and the number of tablets per prescription. Secondary outcomes included the quality of general practitioner communication. METHODS: An interrupted time series assessment was conducted in the ED of a tertiary referral hospital to establish the pre-intervention, peri-intervention and post-intervention prescribing profile of ED medical practitioners. Prescriber numbers were used to obtain drug data for all oxycodone-containing prescriptions from the Queensland Health Medicines Regulation and Quality Unit database. The intervention included education sessions, a staff information email, posters within the ED, and a patient brochure. It was conducted with relevant nurses, pharmacists and prescribing doctors. RESULTS: In the pre-intervention period, 656/17 371 (38 per 1000) discharged patients were prescribed oxycodone, compared to 180/5938 (30 per 1000) during the intervention, and 602/20 505 (29 per 1000) post-intervention. This equated to a decrease of 8 per 1000 (95% CI 5-12 per 1000) and a 22% (95% CI 13-31%) relative prescribing reduction. The mean total number of tablets of oxycodone per prescription decreased from 16.7 (SD 16.5) pre-intervention, to 12.7 (SD 6.0) peri-intervention, to 10.7 (SD 5.2) post-intervention. After the intervention, there was an increase in discharge communications to general practitioners by 15.4% (95% CI 9.7-21.1%). CONCLUSIONS: An ED prescriber-targeted intervention reduced overall prescribing of oxycodone and improved communication at discharge. The prescribing intervention is one strategy that may be used by ED medical staff to improve patient safety and opioid stewardship in Australia.

Cross-sectional survey of off-label and unlicensed prescribing for inpatients at a paediatric teaching hospital in Western Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of off-label and unlicensed prescribing in inpatients at a major paediatric teaching hospital in Western Australia and to identify which drugs are commonly prescribed off-label or unlicensed, including factors influencing such prescribing. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in June, 2013. Patient and prescribing data were collected from 190 inpatient medication chart records which had been randomly selected from all admissions during the second week of February 2013. Drugs were categorised as licensed, off-label or unlicensed, according to their approved Australian registration product information (PI). All drugs were classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code. RESULTS: There were 120 male and 70 female inpatients. The average age was 6.0 years (± 4.7). The study included 1160 prescribed drugs suitable for analysis. The number of drugs prescribed per patient ranged from 1 to 25 with an average of 6.1 (± 4.3). More than half (54%) were prescribed off-label. Oxycodone, clonidine, parecoxib and midazolam were always prescribed off-label. The most common off-label drugs were ondansetron (18.5%), fentanyl (12.9%), oxycodone (8.8%) and paracetamol (6.1%). Many ATC classifications included high off-label proportions especially the genitourinary system and sex hormones, respiratory system drugs, systemic hormonal preparations and alimentary tract and metabolism drugs. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that prescribing of paediatric drugs needs to be better supported by existing and new evidence. Incentives should be established to foster the conduct of evidence-based studies in the paediatric population. The current level of off-label prescribing raises issues of unexpected toxicity and adverse drug effects in children that are in some cases severely ill.

Pharmaceutical payments to physicians may increase prescribing for opioids.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Given the recent complete suspension of opioid-related promotional activities aimed at physicians, interest has renewed in understanding the role of promotion in the US opioid crisis. The present analysis aimed to measure associations between such interactions and opioid prescribing. DESIGN: Data on all promotions by pharmaceutical companies directly to physicians were linked to physician-level data on opioid prescriptions filled in a federal insurance program and analyzed using multivariate regression. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 865 347 US physicians, with prescriptions filled in Medicare Part D, that might receive payments from pharmaceutical promotional activities from 2014 to 2016. MEASUREMENTS: The outcome variable was days' supply dispensed by each prescriber, by year, for all opioids (collectively) and separately for the following opioid classes: hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl, tapentadol, morphine and a catch-all 'other opioids'. The independent variables were receipt of any payments and dollar amounts of payments received by each prescriber by year for all opioids and separately for opioid categories. FINDINGS: Prescribers who received opioid-specific payments prescribed 8784 opioid daily doses per year more than their peers who did not receive any such payments (P < 0.001). Recipient of hydrocodone-related payments was associated with 5161 additional daily doses of hydrocodone (P < 0.001). Recipient of oxycodone-related payments was associated with 3624 additional daily doses of oxycodone (P < 0.001). Prescribers receiving any fentanyl-specific payments prescribed 1124 daily doses per year more than their peers (P < 0.001). Among recipients of opioid-specific payments (63 062 physicians), a 1% increase in amount of payments was associated with 50 daily doses of opioid prescription (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, physicians who receive direct payments from providers for opioid prescribing tend to prescribe substantially larger quantities, particularly for hydrocodone and oxycodone.

Pain assessment in advanced dementia. Validity of the German PAINAD-a prospective double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Pain in combination with dementia is a common condition that makes pain recognition significantly more difficult. This results in undertreatment of pain in those suffering from dementia. The Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scale currently represents one of the best approaches to pain detection in dementia. In a pilot study, strong inter-rater and retest reliability of the German version (PAINAD-G) was proven. However, the available data concerning the validity of this instrument were insufficient. The aim of the study was to validate the PAINAD-G scale by a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial in people with advanced dementia expected to be in pain. A second aim was to examine whether other observational tools (BISAD = Observation Instrument for Assessing Pain in the Elderly with Dementia) (German: Beobachtungsintrument für das Schmerzassessment bei alten Menschen mit Demenz, Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators, Algoplus) were also able to demonstrate a significant difference between the study groups. Surprisingly, the study revealed no difference in "pain reduction" between those treated by oxycodone compared with those treated by placebo. Equally, none of the other 3 observational tools were able to demonstrate a significant difference between the study groups. However, correlations among the 4 observational tools were mostly moderate to high. A number of possible reasons for this observation, such as difficulties regarding sensitivity to change/responsiveness, consistence of the fundamental construct, influence of the early onset study, and efficacy of the analgesic in advanced dementia are discussed.

Comparison of the use of different analgesics in the course of anesthesia care based on pharmacoeconomics.

Narcotic analgesics play an important role in the treatment of pain. If the drug is not standardized, it is easy to cause tolerance and addiction, so scientific management and rational application is very important. In this article, we analyzed the use of narcotic analgesics in a tertiary hospital in 2015-2017. The results showed that the top 3 drugs in DDDs (defined daily doses) were fentanyl transdermal patch (4.2 mg), fentanyl transdermal patch (8.4 mg) and morphine sulfate sustained-release tablets (30 mg). Because of its strong analgesic activity and dosage form, fentanyl has become one of the first choices for severe and moderate pain in clinical practice. Morphine sulfate sustained-release tablets (30 mg) DDDs ranked third in 2015-2017, and the B/A value was 1.75. At the same time, morphine sulfate sustained-release tablets' DDDs declined in 2017 because of the analgesic advantage of bucinnazine hydrochloride injection in emergency treatment. The dosage of pethidine hydrochloride injection is declining year by year, because its analgesic action time is very short and easy to be addicted to, and the long-term application of its metabolite, normethidine, will accumulate in the body, causing neurotoxic symptoms. The price of oxycodone hydrochloride prolonged-release tablets is relatively high, which limits its use to a certain extent. Therefore, recommend rational use of narcotic analgesics in hospitals.