opioids
Regulations intended to thwart
abuse of fentanyl patches
Bill prompted by fentanyl’s role in rising number of overdoses
photo: masterfile
T
he Ontario government is proposing new regulations that will make
it more difficult for patients to
abuse or sell their fentanyl patches.
A private member’s bill – Bill 33 – Safeguarding our Communities Act (Fentanyl Patch for
Patch Return Policy) – requires physicians
who prescribe fentanyl patches to participate
in a program which is already operating in 45
Ontario communities.
Under the Patch4Patch program, patients
with a prescription for fentanyl would only be
given new patches of the drug when they turn
in used patches to their pharmacist.
The bill was primarily prompted by fentanyl’s
role in the rising number of accidental overdose deaths. Fentanyl has been blamed for 655
deaths across Canada between 2009 and 2014,
with most deaths appearing to be the result of
valid prescriptions being abused – either by
the patient or by someone using the patches
intended for the patient. The street price for
a fentanyl patch ranges from $200-$300 in
southern Ontario and upwards of $500 in First
Nations communities in the north. In fact,
they are often sold in pieces because of the
high cost.
Originally developed as an operating room
drug, fentanyl is approximately 100 times
more potent than morphine and 40 times
more potent than heroin. It has been described
by the Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids as a second line drug for
severe pain, and should only be considered if
morphine, oxycodone or hydromorphone are
not appropriate for the patient.
Physicians who prescribe fentanyl patches
should be familiar with The Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids, which
is an evidence-based guideline to help primarycare physicians and specialists safely and effectively use opioids to treat patients with chronic
Issue 2, 2016 Dialogue
Issue2_16.indd 23
23
2016-06-16 12:26 PM