Pubdate: Fri, 08 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: 06

HEALTH OFFICIALS MEETING TO TACKLE METHADOSE ISSUE

Welcome news. Teleconference set up to discuss claims that some
patients are relapsing after switch

Government and health officials are meeting Friday to discuss claims
that some patients are relapsing after B.C. switched patients to a
commercial methadone product in February.

The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and the Drug Users' Resource
Centre wrote an open letter this week saying that Methadose is proving
to be ineffective for longtime methadone users, its effects wearing
out after 16 hours and triggering withdrawal symptoms. Many stable,
long-term methadone users have relapsed to using heroin, the letter
claims.

Health Minister Terry Lake has ordered an evaluation of the
program.

A teleconference between the ministry, College of Physicians and
Surgeons of B.C., College of Pharmacists of B.C., Vancouver Coastal
Health and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals - the recipients of the letter
- - has been scheduled for Friday to discuss the issue. The development
was welcome news to Dean Wilson, of the Drug Users' Resource Centre.

"I hope it's an easy fix; let people use methadone. It's a small
amount of people affected anyway," he said. "Methadose is working just
fine for people starting on it. But for some, they've been on
methadone for 10 to 15 years, their bodies got used to it."

Wilson hopes the government gets the information it needs
quickly.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Terry Lake acknowledged some patients
may be better suited to methadone - which was mixed by pharmacists
before Methadose was approved by Health Canada, and is taken in a
different liquid solution though the dosage is the same - but didn't
want to jump to conclusions.

"We need to look at the experience and gather some data before we take
some decisions moving forward," he said.

- ------------------------------------------

[sidebar]

Report lauds methadone program

While the switch from generic methadone to brand-name Methadose is
causing some patients difficulty, B.C.'s opioid substitution treatment
system is working, according to a new report.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall's latest report finds that
methadone and Suboxone have helped decrease mortality rates and
reduced health-care costs.

Mortality rates for people on a prescribed opioid substitute have
fallen to 1.1 deaths per 100 person years, compared to an estimated
2.1 deaths per 100 person years for people using street heroin.

The annual per-patient cost for treatment in B.C. averages $4,200,
while the estimated health care, law enforcement and social costs of
an untreated heroin addict is more than $40,000.
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MAP posted-by: Matt