This consultation paper examines the issues around prescription opioid use and misuse in Australia and explores options for a regulatory response to issues identified.

North America is facing an epidemic of opioid addiction and opioid overdose with an unprecedented level of mortality. The crisis was spurred by a broad expansion of medical use of opioids, which began in the 1990s as a legitimate response to the under-treatment of pain, but which was soon exploited by the unethical behavior of...

Just under 600 Australians between the ages of 15 and 54 died from accidental overdose of opioids, with the majority (70 per cent) being due to opioids other than heroin, including strong prescription painkillers.

This report was written as an evaluation of the Take Home Naloxone (THN) program at Access Health in St Kilda, Victoria. Access Health is a primary health service, managed by The Salvation Army Crisis Services located in the adjoining building in Grey St, St Kilda.

Explores opioid use by aged care facility residents before and after initiation of transdermal opioid patches. Abstract Objective: To explore opioid use by aged care facility residents before and after initiation of transdermal opioid patches. Design: A cross-sectional cohort study, analysing pharmacy data on individual patient supply between 1 July 2008 and 30 September 2013...