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Opioid consumption in Spain--the significance of a regulatory measure
J García del Pozo1, A Carvajal, A M Rueda de Castro
1Instituto de Farmacoepidemiología, Universidad de Valladolid, C/Ramón y Cajal, Spain.
Objective:
To investigate the impact of new regulatory measures on opioid consumption in Spain during the period 1985-1998.
Methods:
A search in the ECOM (Especialidades Consumo de Medicamentos) database of the Ministry of Health was made for the 1985-1998 period. This database contains information about drug preparations prescribed in primary care in the National Health System in Spain.
Results:
Since 1985-1998, the overall opioid consumption has increased tenfold, from 94.7 DDD (defined daily dose) per million inhabitants per day to more than 1000 DDD. For the five drugs that require a special prescription form (morphine, methadone, pethidine, tilidine and fentanyl), the consumption has increased 13.5-fold.
Conclusion:
A huge increase in opioid consumption has occurred. In this increase, changes in supply and, to a lesser extent, regulatory measures have played an important role.
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