Pubdate: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775 Author: Matt Kieltyka Page: 4 NEW HEROIN THERAPY INEFFECTIVE, CAUSES RELAPSE: DRUG USER GROUP The province's health minister says the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of a new heroin treatment regime must be evaluated before he'll get involved. Terry Lake's comments follow an open letter sent Tuesday by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) to government and health officials claiming that the switch from methadone to Methadose in February has had "alarming side effects" on up to a quarter of patients in the Methadone Maintenance Program. "We are deeply concerned by the number of us, our friends, colleagues and loved ones who are relapsing - using heroin or other opiates to deal with this withdrawal - in many cases, after years of abstaining," the letter reads. VANDU says many patients find a daily dose Methadose, a prescribed medicine in liquid form, wears off in as little as 16 hours, leaving patients with painful withdrawal symptoms until the next dose can be taken. Mykle Ludvigsen, the director of public accountability and engagement for the College of Pharmacists of B.C., told Metro it's standard practice to switch over to a commercially-available product once it gets approval from Health Canada, as is the case for Methadose. It has same level of methadone as the previously available solution, and the college has conducted random inspections to ensure that's the case. The tests have come back OK, but Ludvigsen confirmed there is anecdotal evidence from patients that Methadose may not be lasting as long. "We're trying to get to the bottom of it," Ludvigsen said, adding that the complaints are being raised with Health Canada and Methadose's manufacturer. On Wednesday, Lake said he was aware of the concerns and has ordered an evaluation. "We'll do that review and if we need to adjust the policy, we'll do that," he told media. "When you make a change like going from methadone to Methadose - which was made for good therapeutic reasons in terms of reducing potential side effects and negative effects and for safety reasons - you always want to examine how that transition occurs." Lake said the province is committed to the best outcome for patients. "For some people, perhaps methadone is better than Methadose," Lake said. "I don't want to jump to that conclusion, but we need to look at the experience and gather some data before we make some decisions moving forward." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt