Opioid Epidemic: What are Australia’s Solutions?

Despite Australia’s best efforts in preventing the spread of the global opioid epidemic, research has shown that the country is succumbing to global trends concerning the misuse of opioid drugs.

In response, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has drafted a number of potential solutions to the nation’s opioid crisis in hopes of their practical implementation in the country as well as inspiring collective global response to the growingly serious problem.

Australia’s opioid epidemic background

Opioid drugs are a broad group of pain-relieving medications purchased from pharmacies and are frequently prescribed by local doctors.

Since Australia’s general increase of prescription drugs (from 10 million to 14 million annually) in 2009, opioid drugs have become a staple form of medication and have shown no signs of decreasing use anytime soon.

As of 2018, Australia has ranked eighth internationally in the number of daily prescribed opioid drug doses (per million population). Moreover, the country has seen a 62% rise in opioid misuse-related deaths, from 2.9 deaths per 100,000 to 4.7 between 2007 and 2014.

What are Australia’s solutions to the opioid epidemic?

According to a Consultation Paper 2018 released by the TGA, there are six main outcomes or drivers of the opioid crisis in the country. These include:

• Opioid drug overdose causing premature health concerns and deaths
• Increased tolerance to the effects of opioid drugs
• Addiction to prescribed opioid drugs
• Abuse of opioid drugs
• Overuse and misuse and opioid drugs
• Abuse-incentivised diversion of legally prescribed drugs to others

Based on these six interrelated outcomes and drivers of the country’s opioid epidemic, the TGA has drafted a number of solutions to the problem in hopes of slowing down the effects of the crisis.

1 Produce smaller opioid pack sizes

This solution will require domestic drug producers to register and make smaller opioid pack sizes (e.g. three-day packs) so that the risks and possibilities of opioid overdose and misuse decrease. Treatment pack sizes for 14 day periods and 28 day periods could also be made to treat patients with chronic pain and are in need of opioid drugs for the long term.

2 Review indications for strong opioids

This will involve the TGA reviewing prescription requirements and indications for the most commonly used opioid drugs in Australia. Currently, requirements between different opioids drug groups and circumstances for their usage are extremely inconsistent. For a better opioid understanding for both local doctors and pharmacies, a new comprehensive guideline on the management of pain and health concerns requiring opioid drugs is recommended.

3 Increase awareness in health care professionals

Arguably one of the most important solutions on this list is improving health practitioner awareness on the severity of the opioid crisis in Australia and increasing information provided on the use of non-pharmaceutical and alternative medicine methods for pain management. This will effectively slow down the prescription of opioid drugs to the Australian community and eliminate the risk of drug misuse.

The opioid epidemic is still incredibly problematic currently in the Australian community and is responsible for two-thirds of Australia’s drug-induced deaths — at a rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people in 2018. As both patients and healthcare professionals diverge from opioid drugs, alternative medicine for pain management such as acupuncture, chiropractic care and physiotherapy are gaining popularity.

If you have been experiencing musculoskeletal pains, there are other treatments available in the first instance. Consider your local chiropractor for back pain, a physiotherapy for a sports injury or consult with your GP if you have other concerns.