Opioids crisis spurs minister to take action
Deaths from painkiller abuse on the rise
OTTAWA • It remains a mystery why Canada and the U.S. are the world’s heaviest opioid users, but Health Minister Jane Philpott thinks the answers may help solve what she considers a national public health crisis.
Philpott, a physician herself, said the problem has grown worse during the past several years and the number of overdoses and opioid-related deaths has continued to grow.
A number of theories persist, Philpott said in an interview, including relentless pressure from the pharmaceutical industry on North American health-care providers to use opioids extensively in treating chronic pain.
“Some have suggested that may be one of the reasons behind it — like anything else, it is multisectoral,” Philpott said.
“I think it is something we do need to ask ourselves and I think that part of answering that ... is where we are going to find some of the clues as to how we respond.”
Opioids include prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, fentanyl and morphine, as well as illegal street drugs such as heroin.
One of the “unique realities” of the problem is that opioids play a legitimate role in responding to people with pain conditions, Philpott said. “People need to have access to these effective medications where used appropriately, but there is tremendous risk potential. People do become addicted to them and people die.”
Philpott has moved to expedite the availability in Canada of a nasal spray that contains naloxone hydrochloride and is considered a life-saving medication.
It has been available in Canada in an injectable form and Health Canada recently took steps to make it available without a prescription in the case of emergency outside of hospitals.
Philpott said she’s also pleased to see provincial counterparts taking action, such as Ontario’s decision to stop paying for long-acting opioids. And B.C. declared a public health emergency in April after a spike in fatal drug overdoses there.
Federal numbers show there were 74 overdose deaths in B.C. in January alone — a trend that means the total number of deaths in 2016 could far exceed the 474 deaths that occurred in the province the previous year.
An opioid summit scheduled for the fall will bring together players from across Canada to develop a joint plan, Philpott said, noting the problem is more serious in some provinces than in others.
Nonetheless, it has a farreaching personal and professional impact, she said.
“It affects health-care providers, it affects organizations that represent people who use drugs or have used drugs and their family members ... we need research community on board, we need community associations on board,” she said.