Opioid overdose deaths may be plateauing: report

Nearly 500 people died due to fentanyl overdoses in the first three quarters of 2018, but it’s possible Alberta has entered a plateau phase with fewer deaths on the horizon, a provincial report says.

The latest data released Tuesday found there were 158 fentanyl-related deaths in the third quarter ending Sept. 30. That’s down from the 169 and 167 deaths reported in the first and second quarters respectively.

“While fentanyl-related deaths continue to increase, the increase appears to have slowed,” the Alberta Health report said. “While it is too early to know for sure, this suggests overdose deaths may be plateauing.”

Non-fentanyl opioid deaths have declined significantly, the report added, referring to drugs including heroin and oxycodone. There were fewer than 30 overdose deaths related to these substances in the first six months of the year. Data for the third quarter is not yet available.

The report found that an average of two Albertans still die every day due to opioid-related overdoses.

Health officials first hinted at a July news conference that the number of deaths may be plateauing. But Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Karen Grimsrud noted there was a spike in deaths at the end of last year.

From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017, there were 209 opioid-related deaths in Alberta — the pinnacle of the crisis since health officials started closely tracking fentanylrelated overdoses in 2016, when 368 people died.

In total, more than 1,700 people have had fatal opioid overdoses since Jan. 1, 2016.

The Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission was established in May 2017 with Grimsrud as co-chairperson.

In July, the commission put forward several recommendations, such as expanding opioid addiction treatments within correctional facilities and creating a distribution project to reduce the use of street-sourced opioids.