Sale of fentanyl test kits stopped over effectiveness concerns

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/10/2016 (3324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kits to test street drugs for contamination with fentanyl are off the market, at least for now.

The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba has asked a North End pharmacy to stop selling the kits until there is more proof they are effective.

Brothers Pharmacy on Selkirk Avenue began selling the $5 kits last week but hardly got off the ground before the college stepped in.

The college has concerns about the accuracy of the tests. Neither have the kits been approved for testing in water by Health Canada, as recommended by Brothers Pharmacy. They are only approved for urine samples.

“We are seeking additional information from the manufacturer, Health Canada, and our colleagues in B.C. to ensure we have adequate information on this test kit and the B.C. experience,” the college’s deputy registrar, Todd Mereniuk, said in a statement.

Michael Watts, owner and operator of Brothers Pharmacy, is disappointed with the decision.

“(The college) feels if someone gets a false negative, they will use more of the drug because they have a false sense of security,” said Watts, adding he doesn’t believe that’s how addicts use drugs.

Illicit use of fentanyl — a painkiller more powerful than morphine — has become a nation-wide health crisis. In Manitoba, there were 29 deaths linked to its use last year.

Watts said he will keep trying to convince the college to permit the test, even if it means administering it at his pharmacy.

“I’m not giving up. I’m trying to get as much data as I can to have the college relinquish the embargo on this sale,” Watts said.

He has asked for more data from the manufacturer, and from Insite, the legal and supervised drug injection site in Vancouver, which has been using the test kit.