Alberta officials watching Ontario’s new opioid strategy

The Alberta government isn’t ruling out following Ontario’s lead in taking high-dosage painkillers off the province’s drug benefit list as it grapples with what’s been described as a crisis around opioid abuse.

But Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said she wants to see how the eastern province’s decision plays out before she’ll commit Alberta to such an action.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health recently announced it would quit paying for high-dose opioid medications by removing them from the provincial drug benefit formulary, which covers drug costs for people who are 65 or older, receive social assistance or have high drug costs relative to their income.

Alberta has a similar drug benefit list, but Hoffman said the NDP government isn’t ready to follow suit just yet.

“We’re certainly interested in seeing what’s happening in other jurisdictions. We know we’re not alone in facing challenges with opiates,” said Hoffman.

The deputy premier noted Alberta has a significant problem around illicit opioids, such as fentanyl, that wouldn’t be affected by stopping payment for high-dose prescription painkillers.

Ontario’s action removes such drugs as 200-milligram tablets of morphine, 24-milligram and 30-milligram capsules of hydromorphone and 75-microgram per hour and 100-microgram per hour patches of prescription fentanyl, but doesn’t affect lower doses of the drugs. The province’s health minister said it was an “important first step” in limiting high doses of opioids, which are linked to overdose deaths.

Dr. Hakique Virani, an Edmonton-based addictions specialist, said Ontario made a “necessary” intervention and Alberta would benefit from similar action.

“But in and of itself, it’s not a stand-alone solution. It’s one component,” he said Wednesday.

The registrar of the Alberta College of Pharmacists, however, said he has concerns about Ontario’s approach and is glad to see Alberta take a wait-and-see position.

“The policy doesn’t seem to be very patient-centred,” said Greg Eberhart. “It doesn’t seem to take into consideration individuals who legitimately need these drugs.”

Ontario’s move comes amid rising national concern about addiction, overdoses and other deaths associated with opioids. Canada has one of the highest rates of opioid use in the world and a national summit on the issue will be held this fall.

On Wednesday, the British Columbia government asked the federal government to help it crack down on fentanyl overdoses through steps such as restricting access to pill presses and tableting machines, pursuing stronger penalties against people who import and traffic in fentanyl, and stepping up searches by the Canadian Border Safety Agency.

Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said Wednesday the province has already been pushing Ottawa on the pill press issue.

She said she wants more information on what B.C. is proposing on penalties and searches.