Diversion and misuse of prescription opioid substitution treatment medications
Author | European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EU body or agency) |
Pages | 19-33 |
TECHNICAL REPORT | Balancing access to opioid substitution treatment with preventing diversion of medications
19
funding to be earmarked for the next financial year would need to consider the individuals
already in treatment and a proportion of those out of treatment who may possibly access OST in
the future. This coverage calculation also allows the number in need who have not yet been
reached with OST to be determined.
Furthermore, data on the overall number of high-risk opioid users in any kind of drug treatment
are available for 11 countries (Figure 8). An analysis of the data of all high-risk opioid users in
any kind of treatment and in OST shows that OST is the treatment of choice in all countries.
Between 2 % and 17 % of all opioid users in treatment receive interventions not involving opioid
substitution (Figure 8). In addition, these data show that, in low OST coverage countries
(Cyprus, Lithuania and Latvia), but also in Italy, the overall treatment coverage beyond OST is
estimated to be low, with a significant proportion of high-risk opioid users not in drug treatment.
Figure 8. Overall estimated number of high-risk opioid users in treatment (in OST and other
treatments) as a percentage of the estimated number of high-risk opioid users in 2017 in selected
countries
Source: EMCDDA (2019c,d).
3. Diversion and misuse of prescription opioid substitution
treatment medications
The diversion and misuse of opioid substitution medications is of particular concern in Europe.
The demand for specialised treatment related to the misuse of OST medications and the
number of deaths associated with these medications have been increasing over the past
decade. This growing problem requires close monitoring and adequate interventions. For this
reason, it is important to describe and understand the national contexts, groups and drivers
behind these observed increases.
First, it is important to clarify the terminology pertinent to such analysis and to draw a distinction
between prescription opioids and prescribed opioids. Prescribed opioid medications, such as
To continue reading
Request your trial