ArticleThe Medical journal of Australia2025
The relative toxicity of medicines detected after poisoning suicide deaths in Australia, 2013-19: a data linkage case series study.
Article in The Medical journal of Australia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beta Blocker Intoxications in Belgium: A Data Analysis with Focus on Propranolol.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Intoxication in Children From Opioids Prescribed to Family Members.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Predictors of ICU Admission in Intentional Overdose Presentations to the Emergency Department.Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo compare the toxicity (relative to population use) and lethality (relative to poisoning events) of medicines involved in poisoning suicides in Australia; to determine the proportions of cases in which the medicines had recently been dispensed to the deceased person. STUDY
designCase series study; analysis of linked National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data. SETTING,
participantsClosed coronial cases for deaths of people aged ten years or older deemed to have been medicine poisoning suicides (including multiple cause deaths), Australia, 1 July 2013 - 10 October 2019, with recorded post mortem toxicology findings.
main outcome measuresFatal toxicity index (FTI): deaths per million years of use at the defined daily dose in Australia (2013-2015); proportion of FTI attributable to medicines dispensed to the deceased person during the twelve months preceding their death; estimated case fatality: deaths per number of calls to poisons information centres regarding the medicine (based on the number of calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre, 2013-2017).
resultsDuring 2013-19, 2132 deaths were classified as medicine poisoning suicide deaths (median age, 51 years [interquartile range, 39-64 years]; 1036 girls or women [49%]). The 5703 detected substances deemed to have contributed to death included 140 medicines. The overall FTI was 32.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.6-33.3) deaths per million years of use; overall estimated case fatality was 1.28% (95% CI, 1.23-1.34%) of poisoning events. FTI and estimated case fatality (each log
conclusionsTo reduce the risk of suicide, access to medicines of greater toxicity and lethality should be restricted, including by staged supply (regular supply of medicines in limited quantities), and limiting pack sizes; real-time prescription monitoring could detect and minimise stockpiling.
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