Ontario Drug Policy Research Network’s Post

The relentless price hikes on essential cancer medicines are placing an enormous financial burden on patients, particularly those from marginalized communities. Black and Latino patients are disproportionately affected, facing higher rates of certain cancers and greater difficulty affording their medications. This underscores the urgent need for policy interventions to rein in drug prices and ensure all patients have access to life-saving treatments. The mid-year price hikes by Big Pharma highlight the industry's prioritization of profits over patient welfare. With over 1,000 price increases on prescription drugs since the beginning of 2024, the need for further drug pricing reform is more urgent than ever. Addressing this crisis is crucial for economic fairness and health justice, especially in mitigating the disproportionate harm faced by Black and Latino communities.

Overdose Risk Increased Toronto is experiencing a significant increase in suspected opioid overdoses. On April 30th, paramedics responded to three times the average number of daily overdose calls compared to the past month. Changes in Overdose Symptoms Supervised consumption services are reporting unusual overdose presentations. People may exhibit rigidity, flailing, and incoherent speech, rather than the typical slow-moving or unresponsive state. Uncertain Drug Supply Toronto's Drug Checking Service has identified concerning trends in the unregulated drug supply: 🔳 Increased contamination with high-potency opioids 🔳 Increased contamination with benzodiazepines 🔳 Increased contamination with veterinary tranquilizers 🔳 The specific drugs causing these overdoses are unknown. Stay Safe:🔳  🔳 Never use alone. Buddy up with someone you trust.  🔳 Carry naloxone. Free kits are available at many locations. Visit https://lnkd.in/gnzFkku or call 1-800-565-8603 for info.  🔳 Use supervised consumption services if possible. Find locations at https://lnkd.in/gyduda8i  🔳 Have a safety plan if using alone. Arrange for someone to check on you.  🔳 Call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-NORS (6677) for support.  🔳 Connect with others virtually through the Brave app.  🔳 Get your drugs checked. Find locations at local drug checking services. For 24/7 support and connection to treatment, call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600. Share this information with everyone. Help keep people safe.

In the American Diabetes Association, a new paper from co-Director Reshma Ramachandran with Kathryn Nagel and Kasia Lipska elucidates the lessons gleaned from the insulin affordability crisis and explores strategies to facilitate cost-effective availability of emerging medications:  https://lnkd.in/eYet_z8P Securing cost-effective and fair access to insulin necessitates a comprehensive strategy encompassing state and federal interventions, continuous assessment and enhancement of policies, and rigorous scrutiny of corporate involvement in healthcare.

What does a drug side-effect risk of 0.04% mean? Put as a risk of one in 2,500, most patients will get it. Drug companies should have a duty of "accessibility of understanding" with their data, but they do not. Access to medicines usually means post-code prescribing (you can get it in one part of the country, but not in others) or pricing issues in developing counties, or approval issues between countries (available in Germany but not in the UK). However, the major access to medicines issue is that patients do not understand what they are for, or the differences between them. “That’s why we have doctors” you say. But does anyone these days trust the high priesthood of medicine – that is if you can even get to see a doctor. Yes, the patient leaflets that come in the medicine packets are useful, but who really reads them? The Plain English Summary requirement of the National Institute for Health and Care Research in order to win funding is a great idea – but again, who sees them? The Royal Statistical Society does great work behind the scenes making stats understandable – but you must care in the first place to see their stuff. The big health research charities compel their researchers to talk in public about their work – but who hears them? Journalists are amongst the worst offenders – I know of what I speak because for many years I was one. One of my stories resulted in scores of unwanted babies, possibly hundreds of abortions and worry and confusion for thousands of women. I said the risk of a newer type of contraceptive pill in terms of causing deep vein thrombosis was twice that of older pills. If I had said the risk went up from infinitesimally small to vanishingly small, there would not have been a pill scare. In journalistic terms, risk doubles equals STORY! Risk increases from two in a million to one in a million equals SO WHAT? One, of course, is relative risk and the other is absolute risk. How can the use of absolute risk be compelled in health communication? Would it be too much to ask that every single published Phase Three study must contain a Plain English Summary? Patients who do not understand pharmaceutical jargon need more help to realise why taking the medicine matters. Bathroom cabinets across the world stuffed with untaken medicines are eloquent testimony to why accessibility of understanding matters.  

Release Update: The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario shared data on drug toxicity deaths from January 2018 to Q3 2023. Some really interesting data. There was a 9% drop from 2021, showing progress, but rates are still 64% higher than in 2019, indicating a continuing challenge. In Q3 2023, individuals aged 30-59 were most impacted, accounting for 72% of deaths, highlighting the need for targeted support for the working-age population. Males made up 3 out of every 4 deaths since the pandemic began, underscoring the need for gender-specific strategies. The majority of deaths occurred in private residences, emphasizing the need for better support at home. Interestingly, in Q3 2023, bystanders were present in 1 out of 10 fatalities. When present, naloxone was administered in 60% of cases throughout 2023 (to date). Naloxone was used in 1 out of every 4 opioid-related deaths in 2023, regardless of bystander presence, stressing the importance of bystander intervention. Challenges in Analysis: Analyzing naloxone use trends in fatalities is complex due to varied timing of administration. These trends highlight potential use rather than naloxone's effectiveness, which should also consider non-fatal outcomes. Conclusion: This analysis points to the ongoing struggle against the drug poisoning crisis, the critical role of bystander action, and the necessity for increased naloxone accessibility as key areas for continued efforts in this public health emergency. Full report attached.

If you are not familiar with migraines, well, you're in luck! You don't want to know the lasting feeling of a migraine, a combination of pressure, extreme light and sound sensitivity, nausea, and even vomiting are among some of the symptoms. Migraines usually last hours and can even last days, they affect women three times more than men.   Financial support for chronic migraine sufferers is difficult to receive as it is often not recognized as a disability by health insurers, private or public. Doctors need to better support their patients, and create personalized migraine protocols.   Studies have shown prolonged medical cannabis use can reduce #migraine frequency.   Contact our team to learn if medical cannabis treatment is for you: https://loom.ly/p0B7owM or call us at 844-223-8886 #migraines #headaches #chronicpain #cannabis #canada #research #migraineawareness #migraineawarenessmonth

Findings of a newly published study show what authors describe as a “cannabis paradox”: Despite concerns that marijuana use may be associated with some heart problems, adults admitted to the hospital after suffering heart attacks actually seemed to fare better if they were cannabis consumers. “The findings of our study reveal a paradox,” researchers wrote. “Among patients aged 18–80 years admitted to hospital with [acute myocardial infarction] between 2001 and 2020 in the United States, cannabis use was associated with lower risks of complications, such as, cardiogenic shock, acute ischaemic stroke, cardiac arrest, and [percutaneous coronary intervention] use, as well as lower in-hospital mortality despite correcting for several confounding factors.” The report, published in the journal Archives of Medical Science – Atherosclerotic Diseases, examined data from the National Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital discharge records across the United States that authors said “represents more than 97% of the US population.” #cannabishealthbenefits #cannabisresearch #cannabisconsumer  #cannabisparadox #medicalmarijuana #medicalmarijuanapatients https://lnkd.in/g5KURCZm

Truveta Data on #cannabis-induced disorders was cited recently by The Wall Street Journal and CBS News showing that related emergency department visits have seen a sharp increase since 2019. Explore the methodology and learn more about the results of the study here: https://tr.vet/3vrmvWY #CannabisInducedDisorder #Cannabis #MentalHealth #MentalHealthDisorder #EmergencyDepartment #BehavioralHealth #CannabisInducedPsychosis #HealthData #HealthcareData #MedicalData #HealthTech #MedTech #MedicalTechnology

Truveta Data on #cannabis-induced disorders was cited recently by The Wall Street Journal and CBS News, showing that related emergency department visits have seen a sharp increase since 2019. Get more details on the study, and explore the methodology here: https://tr.vet/3vrmvWY #CannabisInducedDisorder #Cannabis #MentalHealth #MentalHealthDisorder #EmergencyDepartment #BehavioralHealth #CannabisInducedPsychosis #HealthData #HealthcareData #MedicalData #HealthTech #MedTech #MedicalTechnology