Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23687529›Full record

ArticleOpen medicine : a peer-reviewed, independent, open-access journal2012

Reformulation of controlled-release oxycodone and pharmacy dispensing patterns near the US-Canada border.

Tara Gomes, J Michael Paterson, David N Juurlink, Irfan A Dhalla, Muhammad M Mamdani

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Open medicine : a peer-reviewed, independent, open-access journal, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Trends in high-dose opioid prescribing in Canada.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2014
    Article
  3. Generic controlled-release oxycodone.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2013
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tara GomesInstitute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, G1-06, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M4N 3M5, Canada. Tara.Gomes@ices.on.ca
J Michael Paterson
David N Juurlink
Irfan A Dhalla
Muhammad M Mamdani

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn August 2010, a tamper-resistant formulation of controlled-release oxycodone (OxyContin-OP) was introduced in the United States but not in Canada. Our objective was to determine whether introduction of OxyContin-OP in the United States influenced prescription volumes for the original controlled-release oxycodone formulation (OxyContin) at Canadian pharmacies near the international border.

methodsWe conducted a population-based, serial, cross-sectional study of prescriptions dispensed from pharmacies in the 3 cities with the highest volume of US-Canada border crossings in Ontario: Niagara Falls, Windsor and Sarnia. We analyzed data on all outpatient prescriptions for OxyContin dispensed by Canadian pharmacies near each border crossing between 2010 Apr. 1 and 2012 Feb. 29. We calculated and compared monthly prescription rates, adjusted per 1000 population and stratified by tablet strength.

resultsThe number of tablets dispensed near 4 border crossings in the 3 Canadian cities remained stable over the study period. However, the rate of dispensing at pharmacies near the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel increased roughly 4-fold between August 2010 and February 2011, from 505 to 1969 tablets per 1000 population. By April 2011, following warnings to prescribers and pharmacies regarding drug-seeking behaviour, the dispensing rate declined to 1683 tablets per 1000 population in this area. By November 2011, the rate had returned to levels observed in early 2010. Our analyses suggest that 242 075 excess OxyContin tablets were dispensed near the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel between August 2010 and October 2011.

conclusionsPrescribing of the original formulation of controlled-release oxycodone rose substantially near a major international border crossing following the introduction of a tamper-resistant formulation in the United States. It is possible that the restriction of this finding to the area surrounding the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel reflects specific characteristics of this border crossing, including its high traffic volume, direct access to the downtown core and drug-trafficking patterns in the Detroit area. Our findings highlight the potential impact of cross-border differences in medication availability on drug-seeking behaviour.

Indexed as

Drug and Narcotic ControlPharmaciesAnalgesics, OpioidCanadaDatabases, PharmaceuticalDelayed-Action PreparationsDrug PrescriptionsHuman MigrationHumansInternationalityOxycodoneUnited StatesAnalgesics, OpioidDelayed-Action PreparationsOxycodone

Identifiers

PMID23687529
PMCPMC3654510

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.