Addiction experts applaud Ontario’s move to limit OxyContin
Posted Feb 20, 2012 10:51:23 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Addiction experts are applauding Ontario’s recent move to limit the prescription of OxyContin in the province, while meanwhile adding that Ottawa needs to take the lead in the national fight against prescription drug abuse.
The manufacturer of OxyContin will stop manufacturing the powerful painkiller in Canada at the end of February, instead replacing it with OxyNeo, a variant version which is supposed to be harder to abuse.
In response Ontario has decided to add the products to their Exceptional Access Program, meaning giving and getting prescriptions will be under stricter regulations.
While imposing tighter controls on the drugs is a step in the right direction, most experts agree it is not enough.
Benedikt Fischer, an addiction expert at Simon Fraser University, says a uniform approach could help curb smuggling across provincial borders.
“If there is a great demand in Ontario, and there are great restrictions,” Fischer said. “And let’s say, in Manitoba or Quebec the restrictions aren’t there and there’s much higher supply and there’s a great black-market demand in Ontario
OxyContin is highly addictive, and experts expect many users will suffer from withdrawal sickness after the drug stops being manufactured.
Other provinces, like Manitoba and British Columbia, are still deciding whether they’ll fund the drug.
