ArticleThe Lancet. Public health2022
Global, regional, and national trends in opioid analgesic consumption from 2015 to 2019: a longitudinal study.
Article in The Lancet. Public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Multimorbidity and analgesic-related harms: a systematic review.British journal of anaesthesia · 2025Pooled it
- Yoga Nidra and Pain: A between-, within-Group Meta-Analysis and Dose Response Meta-Regression.Complementary medicine research · 2025Pooled it
- Combatting opioid misuse, overuse and abuse: a systematic review of pharmacists' services and outcomes.Pain management · 2024Pooled it
- What influences Australian pharmacists' decisions to supply opioids? Results from a survey and randomised controlled factorial experiment.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Trial
- Maternal opioid prescriptions and subsequent risk of hospital admission in offspring in South Korea: A nationwide birth cohort study.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Risk factors for long-term analgesic prescription after hip or knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: results of a multivariable regression analysis based on health insurance claims data from 137,875 patients with postoperative inpatient rehabilitation.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Feasibility of a Monthly Morphine Milligram Equivalent Metric for Opioid Surveillance Using the National Claims Database of Japan: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in a Low-Consumption Setting.Therapeutic innovation & regulatory science · 2026Article
- Cancer pain.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- From Subjective to Objective: The Bedside Value of HRV in AssessingChronic Pain Complicated by Emotionaland Sleep Issues.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Effects of Opioids, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids, and Antidepressants on Fracture Risk in Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Article
- Changes in the consumption of immediate-release fentanyl between 2018 and 2022 in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife after the implementation of regulatory measures by health authorities.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Regional Trends in the Opioid Epidemic Using Safety Signals of Drug Abuse and Dependence: A Disproportionality Analysis Using VigiBase.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2026Article
- The identification of potent nonopioid analgesics and their potential for perioperative use.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Patient Characteristics and Risk of Fall-Related Injuries Among New Users of Opioids in Denmark: A Longitudinal Descriptive Study.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2026Article
- Global trends in clozapine utilisation between 2014 and 2024: a longitudinal epidemiological study with data from 75 countries.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- High Serum Lipase Level is Associated With Increased Analgesic Use in Hospitalized Patients With Acute Pancreatitis.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- Experience and satisfaction towards palliative care in an Ethiopian tertiary care setting: A mixed methods study of patients with cancer and caregivers.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Improved opioid prescribing in primary care: protocol for a cluster randomised pragmatic trial.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Review
- Beyond pain relief: the effects of chronic opioid use on brain structure and function in diabetic neuropathy-a multimodal neuroimaging study.Diabetologia · 2025Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies have reported an extremely unbalanced global access to opioid analgesics. We aimed to determine contemporary trends and patterns of opioid analgesic consumption at the global, regional, and national levels.
methodsWe analysed the global pharmaceutical sales data of 66 countries or regions from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System database on opioid analgesics between 2015 and 2019. Opioid analgesic consumption was measured in milligram morphine equivalent per 1000 inhabitants per day (MME per 1000/day). The global, regional, and national trend changes were estimated using linear regressions. Factors associated with consumption patterns and trend changes were explored in multivariable linear regression analyses.
findingsOverall opioid analgesic sales in the 66 countries or regions increased from 27·52 MME per 1000/day (16·63-45·54) in 2015 to 29·51 MME per 1000/day (17·85-48·79) in 2019 (difference per year 3·96%, 95% CI 0·26 to 7·80). Sales reduced yearly in North America (-12·84%; 95% CI -15·34 to -10·27) and Oceania (-2·96%; -4·20 to -1·70); increased in South America (28·69%; 7·18 to 54·53), eastern Europe (7·68%; 3·99 to 11·49), Asia (5·74%; 0·61 to 11·14), and western and central Europe (1·64%; 0·52 to 2·78); and did not differ in Africa or central America and the Caribbean. The global opioid consumption patterns were associated with country-level Human Development Index (p=0·040), cancer death rate excluding leukaemia (p=0·0072), and geographical location (p<0·0001). In 2019, opioid analgesic consumption ranged from 0·01 MME per 1000/day to 5·40 MME per 1000/day in the 17 countries and regions in the lowest consumption quartile, despite high income levels and cancer death rates in some of them.
interpretationGlobal opioid analgesic consumption increased from 2015 to 2019. The trend changes were distinctive across regions, which could reflect the different actions in response to known issues of opioid use and misuse. Disparities in opioid analgesic consumption remained, indicating potential inadequate access to essential pain relief in countries with low consumption.
fundingNone.
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