Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Fewer Oxy prescriptions are being filled

Restrictions put on pain killer

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 02/1/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The number of prescriptions being filled for OxyContin has fallen by 20 per cent in Manitoba in the past six to eight months, and the government isn't sure why.

Health Minister Theresa Oswald said Monday the drop may be due to heightened public awareness over the narcotic's addictive nature.

Or it may be that doctors are shying away from the extra paperwork the province imposed upon them to prescribe the drug last spring.

"It's early on for us to say," Oswald said after a legislative committee meeting where the issue came up.

Since last March, new prescriptions for OxyContin have been restricted to cancer patients or those with chronic conditions who can't tolerate or benefit from other medications. Doctors have also been required to contact Manitoba Health for approval before patients can obtain pharmacare coverage for its prescription.

The restrictions were part of a provincial plan to tackle the growing problem of OxyContin abuse among suburban teens and the inner-city addicts alike.

"The attention that OxyContin in particular is getting could be having a chilling effect on physicians doing the prescribing in the first place," Oswald said.

She expects that a bill the government introduced last fall, and which received legislative committee approval Monday, could help medical authorities better understand the issue.

Bill 14 amends The Prescription Drugs Cost Assistance Act, establishing a new category of monitored drugs. Regulatory bodies will now be able to investigate prescribing or dispensing practices of drugs, such as OxyContin, that will fall under this category.

Bill Pope, registrar with the Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons, said the new law, when passed, will allow the province to flag prescribing problems so that the college can help educate physicians.

Doctors who are physically small or new to Canada can feel intimidated by "unpleasant individuals" who know how to work the system, Pope said in an interview after appearing before MLAs Monday.

"If you're a sole practitioner or an owner practitioner and if you're in a tough area, it takes help. You need support," he said.

Despite all the bad press it has received, OxyContin is still a valuable painkiller for cancer patients and those with certain chronic conditions, Pope said. "I believe there are still many patients (for whom) it would be the ideal drug because it has fewer side-effects and because it works quickly," he said.

With committee approval Monday, Bill 14 still requires third reading and royal assent when the legislature is recalled in spring.

A list of the drugs to be monitored has yet to be announced.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 1, 2011 A8

(You must be logged in to post your reaction)

Your reaction?

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.