JAMA Internal Medicine just published a study on the impact of a safer supply program.
First the background:
In March 2020, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction globally to launch a provincewide Safer Opioid Supply policy that allows individuals at high risk of overdose to receive pharmaceutical-grade opioids free of charge prescribed by a physician or nurse practitioner.3 This policy initially covered select opioids (hydromorphone and sustained-release oral morphine),3 and in July 2021, it was made permanent and expanded to include additional drugs, including injectable fentanyl.3,4 In June 2023, 4619 people were prescribed safer supply opioid medications.5
Nguyen HV, Mital S, Bugden S, McGinty EE. British Columbia’s Safer Opioid Supply Policy and Opioid Outcomes. JAMA Intern Med. Published online January 16, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7570
The study compared British Columbia to two other provinces without the safer supply program, comparing overdose rates before and after the implementation of the program.
What did they find?
There is a broad consensus that high rates of opioid prescribing during the 1990s have been the driver of the present-day opioid crisis. The Safer Opioid Supply policy is a response to the crisis and aims to reduce opioid overdose by inducing opioid users to switch from illegal to legal opioids. Our finding of higher rates of hospitalization during the first 2 years of implementation of the Safer Opioid Supply Policy is potentially concerning and suggests a need to carefully monitor how safer supply approaches influence opioid use, addiction, and overdose in the long term.
Nguyen HV, Mital S, Bugden S, McGinty EE. British Columbia’s Safer Opioid Supply Policy and Opioid Outcomes. JAMA Intern Med. Published online January 16, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7570
While they found an increase in opioid-related hospitalizations, they did not find an increase in deaths.
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