Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36469216›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2023

A nationwide study on consumption of opioid analgesics in Iran from 2000 to 2018.

Arash Kalantar, Mahya Rezaei, Aarefeh Jafarzadeh Kohneloo, Maryam Taghizadeh-Ghehi

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Article in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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3 · Its place in the literature

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2 citing papers in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Arash KalantarDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahya RezaeiDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Aarefeh Jafarzadeh KohnelooDepartment of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Maryam Taghizadeh-GhehiResearch Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 4th floor, No 92, Karimkhan Zand Ave., Hafte Tir Sq., Tehran, Iran. taghizadehgm@sina.tums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0313-7670

Funding

Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services 97-03-156-40703
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOpioid analgesics play a unique role in pain management. National opioid consumption studies could provide indirect evidence of pain management in a country. National, regional, and global opioid consumption have been studied in other countries so far; however, conducting a focused study to illuminate the consumption of opioid analgesics over the past decades in Iran seemed necessary.

aimThe main objective of this study was to determine the consumption of opioid analgesics and explore the trend of their use during 19 years in Iran.

methodIran pharmaceutical wholesale data were used to extract the annual consumption figures of the opioid analgesics in group N02A of the World Health Organization (WHO) Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification and were available in Iran (morphine, fentanyl, pethidine, and oxycodone as strong opioids and, tramadol and pentazocine as weak opioids), from 2000 to 2018. Using Defined Daily Dose (DDD) by WHO and Oral Morphine Equivalent (OMEQ), the amount of annual consumption was determined in DDD/1000 inhabitants/Day (DID) and OMEQ (mg)/1000 inhabitants/Day (OID).

resultsTotal opioid analgesic utilization based on DID and OID increased 31.12-fold (from 0.0196 to 0.61) and 21.06-fold (from 1.97 to 41.5 mg) over 19 years, respectively with a significant sharp increase from 2003 to 2006 (ß = 1.78 (DID), P value < 0.001). Medications that constituted 70% of annual opioid analgesics utilization were morphine in 2000, compared to tramadol in 2018. The annual weak and strong opioids share were 86.7% and 13.2% in 2018, respectively.

conclusionDespite considerable growth in the consumption of opioid analgesics in Iran over nearly two decades, the consumption amount remained low, which might signal sub-optimal pain management. On the other hand, misuse and abuse seem to be the main reason behind significant increases in the consumption of opioid analgesics with less controlled distribution.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidTramadolDrug UtilizationHumansIranMorphineAnalgesics, OpioidMorphineTramadolATC/DDD systemDrug utilizationNarcoticsOpioid analgesicsPain

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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.