British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Nov 2014
ReviewAn overview of the patterns of prescription opioid use, costs and related harms in Australia.
To report Australian population trends in subsidized prescribed opioid use, total costs to the Australian government to subsidize these medicines and opioid-related harms based on hospitalizations and accidental poisoning deaths. ⋯ The striking increase in opioid use and related harms in Australia is consistent with trends observed in other jurisdictions. Further, there is no evidence to suggest these increases are plateauing. There is currently limited evidence in Australia about individual patterns of opioid use and the associated risk of adverse events. Further research should focus on these important issues so as to provide important evidence supporting effective change in policy and practice.