B.C. doctors welcome Ottawa's move to make it easier to prescribe heroin and methadone
Health professionals working on the front lines of the opioid crisis say it's one less hurdle to treatment
As British Columbia grapples with the opioid overdose crisis, doctors working on the front lines are welcoming a move by Ottawa to ease the restrictions on two types of treatment options: methadone and prescription heroin.
The federal government is easing restrictions around who can prescribe pharmaceutical heroin, or diacetylmorphine, and how. It also plans to remove a requirement for doctors to seek an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances act to be able to prescribe and administer methadone.
"We want a broad variety of treatments, because it does need to be tailored to the individual. So anything that can make these treatments more readily available is good news." said Dr. Patricia Daly. chief medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health.
"Some of the concern within the recent opioid crisis is that there may be physicians not willing to offer treatment, because they didn't have that particular exemption, so this is one less hurdle to get them on one form of treatment," said Daly.
B.C. has been at the forefront of Canada's opioid crisis. More than 1,420 people died of illicit-drug overdoses in B.C. in 2017. Fentanyl caused more than 80 per cent of suspected deaths last year.
'It can save lives'
There are several treatment options available to those seeking help to manage an addiction to opioids.
Daly said doctors' first line of treatment is typically oral medications such as suboxone or methadone. Both are forms of substitution therapy.
Diacetylmorphine — or medical grade heroin — is generally used to treat patients who have not had success with substitution therapy.
The only clinic in Canada to offer patients injectable diacetylmorphine is Vancouver's Crosstown Clinic.
"There's a small number of folks who will not be retained or attracted into care with anything but an injectable option and that needs to include diacetylmorphine ," said Scott MacDonald, lead physician at the Crosstown Clinic.
"The vast majority of people who are dying are long term opioid users. We need more options. For that small number of folks, it can really change their lives and save lives."
Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor also announced Monday $18 million to fund substance abuse and addictions projects and research programs.
The projects will explore drug checking in supervised consumption sites to ensure drugs being consumed on site are not tainted, opioid use in pain management and how opioid-related treatment can better address the needs of women.