Naloxone formulation for overdose reversal preference among patients receiving opioids for pain management

[Opioid overdose prevention and naloxone diffusion (POP program): Results of an overview conducted among addiction specialized centres]

INTRODUCTION

In France, opioids are responsible for the majority of overdose deaths in France. The antidote naloxone is available in France in take home formulations since 2016. Addiction specialized centres are in front-line for naloxone diffusion. The objective was to provide an overview of professional practices, difficulties and needs regarding overdose prevention and naloxone diffusion in these centres of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region.

METHODS

The POP programme "Prevention and harm reduction of opioid overdoses in PACA region" aims to improve the care of patients at risk of overdose and facilitate naloxone diffusion. The 75 addiction specialized centres of the PACA region were invited to respond to a semi-structured interview or a telephone questionnaire. Data collected included 2020 centres' activity and professionals' perceptions of overdose risk in their active file, their practices, difficulties and needs.

RESULTS

Overall, 33 centres answered. Among them, 22 were dispensing naloxone with a mean of 20 kits dispensed in 2020 (min-max: 1-100). Two strategies were pointed out: systematically offering of naloxone to all opioids users or targeting people considered at risk. Several difficulties limiting naloxone diffusion were expressed: a lack of knowledge from opioids users, refusal from people not feeling concerned or refusing the injectable formulation, a lack of training of some professionals to be comfortable with the tool or reglementary or time constraints.

CONCLUSION

Naloxone diffusion is incrementally getting into common practices. However barriers are persisting. On the basis of expressed difficulties and needs, information and training materials were co-designed and diffused.

The importance of translationally evaluating steroid hormone contributions to substance use

Clinically, women appear to be more susceptible to certain aspects of substance use disorders (SUDs). The steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) have been linked to women-specific drug behaviors. Here, we review clinical and preclinical studies investigating how cycling ovarian hormones affect nicotine-, cocaine-, and opioid-related behaviors. We also highlight gaps in the literature regarding how synthetic steroid hormone use may influence drug-related behaviors. In addition, we explore how E2 and Pg are known to interact in brain reward pathways and provide evidence of how these interactions may influence drug-related behaviors. The synthesis of this review demonstrates the critical need to study women-specific factors that may influence aspects of SUDs, which may play important roles in addiction processes in a sex-specific fashion. It is important to understand factors that impact women's health and may be key to moving the field forward toward more efficacious and individualized treatment strategies.

Patient, family members and community pharmacists' views of a proposed overdose prevention intervention delivered in community pharmacies for patients prescribed high-strength opioids for chronic non-cancer pain: An explorative intervention development study

INTRODUCTION

Despite opioid prescribing for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) having limited therapeutic benefits, recent evidence indicates significant increases in the prescribing of high-strength opioids for individuals with CNCP. Patients prescribed opioids for CNCP have overdose risk factors but generally have low opioid overdose awareness and low perceptions of risk related to prescribed opioids. Currently, there are few bespoke overdose prevention resources for this group.

METHODS

This qualitative study investigated views on a naloxone intervention for people prescribed high-strength opioids for CNCP delivered via community pharmacies. The intervention included overdose risk awareness and naloxone training and provision. Interviews were conducted with eight patients, four family members and two community pharmacists. Participants were convenience sampled and recruited through networks within the Scottish pain community. The Framework approach was used to analyse findings.

RESULTS

All participants had positive attitudes towards the intervention, but patients and family members considered risk of overdose to be very low. Three themes were identified: potential advantages of the intervention; potential barriers to the intervention; and additional suggestions and feedback about the intervention. Advantages included the intervention providing essential overdose information for CNCP patients. Barriers included resource and time pressures within community pharmacies.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

While patients had low overdose knowledge and did not see themselves as being at risk of opioid overdose, they were receptive to naloxone use and positive about the proposed intervention. A feasibility trial is merited to further investigate how the intervention would be experienced within community pharmacy settings.

Overdose and take-home naloxone in emergency settings: A pilot study examining feasibility of delivering brief interventions addressing overdose prevention with 'take-home naloxone' in emergency departments

OBJECTIVE

Although most unintentional opioid deaths in Australia are attributed to pharmaceutical opioids, take-home naloxone (THN) programmes have to date predominantly targeted people using illicit opioids in drug treatment and harm reduction settings. We sought to examine the feasibility of delivering THN brief interventions (THN-BIs) with intranasal naloxone in EDs.

METHODS

This pilot feasibility study was conducted across three major metropolitan EDs in Sydney and Melbourne. ED staff were surveyed about their perspectives regarding THN before completing a 30-min training programme in THN-BI delivery. Patients presenting with opioid overdose or considered high risk for future overdose were eligible to receive the THN-BI. Staff survey responses were compared between hospitals and provider types using one-way analysis of variances. Patient demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from medical records and compared between hospitals and overdose type using Fisher's exact test and one-way analysis of variances.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty-two ED staff completed the survey. One hundred and ten (90.2%) agreed that EDs should provide THN-BIs, whereas 23 (19.2%) identified time constraints and 17 (12.9%) felt uncomfortable discussing overdose with patients. Fifty-seven patients received the THN-BI, with the majority (n = 50, 87.7%) having presented following opioid overdose. The median age was 44 years and 40 (71.4%) were men. Two-thirds of the overdoses (n = 31, 66.0%) were attributed to heroin with one-third (n = 16, 34%) being attributed to pharmaceutical opioids.

CONCLUSIONS

ED-based delivery of THN-BIs can reach a wide range of individuals at-risk of overdose. The present study supports the feasibility of THN interventions in EDs and underscores the importance of addressing implementation barriers including staff training.

UNDERSTANDING PREFERENCES FOR TYPE OF TAKE-HOME NALOXONE DEVICE: INTERNATIONAL QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE VIEWS OF PEOPLE WHO USE OPIOIDS

Background

Take-home naloxone (THN) is provided to non-medically trained people to reverse potential opioid overdoses. There is an increasing range of effective intramuscular (IM) and intranasal (IN) naloxone devices and this paper explores the types preferred by people who use opioids, using consumer behaviour literature to interpret the findings.

Methods

Data derive from two unconnected qualitative studies involving audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. Study 1 was conducted in the United States (n=21 users of non-medical/illicit opioids). Study 2 was conducted in Australia (n=42 users of non-medical/illicit or prescribed opioids).

Findings

Most participants preferred IN naloxone. Preferences were based on the ease, speed, safety and comfort of each device and underpinned by accounts of overdose revivals as being very rushed and frightening situations. Preferences related to complex interactions between the naloxone device ('product'); the knowledge, skills, experience and attitudes of the lay responder ('consumer'), and when, where and how naloxone was to be used ('usage situation').

Conclusions

THN programs should offer choice of device when possible and nasal naloxone if resources permit. Asking people which devices they prefer and why and treating them as valued consumers of naloxone products can generate insights that improve future naloxone technology and increase THN uptake and usage.

An Opioid Education Program for Baccalaureate Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

Unintentional drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Previous research identified training health caregivers in the rescue medication naloxone as a strategy to prevent death from opioid overdose. Existing research on naloxone training with nursing students is limited. This educational research project investigated whether training on opioids, opioid toxicity, and overdose response could impact student knowledge, skills, and confidence responding to overdoses.

METHOD

Data were collected from baccalaureate nursing students using three sources: the Brief Opioid Overdose Knowledge questionnaire, a rubric based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration opioid overdose prevention toolkit, and a researcher-developed evaluation.

RESULTS

Planned repeated-measures analyses of variance conducted on data from 284 baccalaureate students indicated high uptake of knowledge and skills for opioid toxicity and naloxone administration. Results were maintained with slight enhancement at 1 week, and training was highly rated. Cohort analysis suggests efficacy across semesters.

CONCLUSION

Education improved student opioid knowledge, skills, and confidence and was relevant across undergraduate nursing curricula.

Impact of policy changes on the provision of naloxone by pharmacies in Ontario, Canada: a population-based time-series analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

In June 2016, the Ontario, Canada government implemented the Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies (ONPP), authorizing pharmacists to provide injectable naloxone kits at no charge to all Ontario residents. In March 2018, the program was amended to include intranasal naloxone and remove the requirement to present a government health card to the dispensing pharmacist. We examined whether these changes increased naloxone dispensing through the ONPP.

DESIGN

Population-based time-series analysis using interventional autoregressive integrated moving average models.

SETTING

Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

All Ontario residents between 1 July 2016 and 31 March 2020.

MEASUREMENTS

Monthly rates of pharmacy naloxone dispensing.

FINDINGS

Overall, 199 484 individuals were dispensed a naloxone kit during the study period. In the main analysis, the rate of pharmacy naloxone dispensing increased by 65.1% following program changes (55.6-91.8 kits per 100 000 population between February 2018 and May 2018; P = 0.01). In subgroup analyses, naloxone dispensing increased among individuals receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT) (3374.9-7264.2 kits per 100 000 OAT recipients; P = 0.04) among individuals receiving other prescription opioids (192.8-381.8 kits per 100 000 population prescribed opioids; P < 0.01), among individuals with past opioid exposure (134.7-205.6 kits per 100 000 population with past opioid exposure; P < 0.01) and in urban centers (56.2-91.4 kits per 100 000 population; P < 0.01). We did not observe a clear impact on pharmacy-dispensed naloxone to individuals with no or unknown opioid exposure (34.4-39.3 kits per 100 000 population with no/unknown opioid exposure; P = 0.42) and in rural regions (50.4-97.2 kits per 100 000 population; P = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes to the Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies to add intranasal naloxone and remove the requirement to present a government health card appeared to increase pharmacy-based naloxone dispensing uptake in Ontario, Canada, particularly among individuals at high risk of inadvertent opioid overdose.

Balancing need and risk, supply and demand: Developing a tool to prioritize naloxone distribution

Background: Opioid overdose deaths continue to rise nationally. The demand for naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, is outpacing the supply. With increasing naloxone requests, tools to prioritize distribution are critical to ensure available supplies will reach those at highest risk of overdose. Methods: We developed a standardized "Naloxone Request Form" (NRF) and corresponding weighted prioritization algorithm to serve as decisional aid to better enable grant staff to prioritize naloxone distribution in a data-driven manner. The algorithm computed raw priority scores for each agency, which were then separated into the predetermined quintiles. Historical naloxone distribution decisions were compared with agencies' prioritization quintile. Results: Results demonstrated that the NRF and corresponding algorithm was successful at prioritizing agencies based on potential impact. Although, overall, naloxone was distributed more heavily to the agencies deemed highest priority, our algorithm identified significant shortcomings of the "first come, first served" method of distribution we had initially deployed. Conclusions: This work has laid the foundation to use this tool prospectively to allow for data-driven decision-making for naloxone distribution. Our tool is flexible and can be customized to best fit the needs of a variety of programs and locations to ensure the distribution of limited supplies of naloxone have the greatest impact.

Trending the evidence on opioid use disorder (OUD) continuum of care among rural American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) tribes: A systematic scoping review

BACKGROUND

American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) communities are second only to White Americans in mortality from opioid use disorder (OUD), while the smallest racial/ethnic minority population group in the USA. Those in rural communities experience significant health care disparities, including poorer treatment access for substance use disorder. This systematic scoping review aimed to trend the emerging evidence on opioid use disorder (OUD) management among rural AI/AN communities as well as workforce training needs.

METHOD

We searched the Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, SSCI, and Digital theses databases for empirical study publications on OUD management among AI/AN rural communities across the continuum of prevention, treatment and care. Eight studies met the following criteria: (a) focused on OUD; (b) sampled rural AI/AN members; (c) investigated prevention, treatment and/or care perspectives and/or practices or health provider preparation; and (d) published during the period 2009-2020. Included studies met the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) quality control standards.

FINDINGS

Six of eight of the studies (75%) were surveys with community members and other stakeholders on OUD management within rural AI/AN communities rather than active interventions within this population. Moreover, five of eight of the studies (63%) reported a preference for culturally grounded health and wellness interventions with rural AI/AN, involving families, and community interventionists, utilizing community reinforcement approaches. Three of eight studies (37.5%) reported need for the cultural adaption of medication-assisted treatments (MAT) and use of culturally informed recovery care approaches. One of eight studies (12.5%) proposed to use culturally adapted contingency management behavioral approaches for OUD treatment and recovery care.

CONCLUSION

The evidence is trending to endorse culturally adapted OUD management with rural AI/AN communities, prioritizing prevention education, and use of MAT with cultural adaptation and whole person approaches to sustainable recovery care. Mental health care should be a part OUD prevention, treatment and recovery care in rural AI/AN rural communities.

Endogenous Opiates and Behavior: 2018

This paper is the forty-first consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2018 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (2), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (3) and humans (4), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (5), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (6), stress and social status (7), learning and memory (8), eating and drinking (9), drug abuse and alcohol (10), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (11), mental illness and mood (12), seizures and neurologic disorders (13), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (14), general activity and locomotion (15), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (16), cardiovascular responses (17), respiration and thermoregulation (18), and immunological responses (19).

Addiction stigma and the production of impediments to take-home naloxone uptake

Opioid overdose deaths are a major health issue in Australia and around the world. Programmes to provide opioid consumers with 'take-home' naloxone to reverse overdose exist internationally, but uptake by mainstream health services and consumers remains inconsistent. Researchers have identified a range of important educational, training and logistical impediments to take-home naloxone uptake and distribution, yet they have focused less on the social dynamics that can enhance or limit access, such as stigma. In this article, we also explore impediments to uptake, drawing on qualitative interview data gathered for an Australian research project on take-home naloxone. Mobilising a performative approach to stigma, we argue that overdose and prevention are shaped by the social dynamics of stigma and, as such, responsibility for dealing with overdose, as with take-home naloxone, should also be considered social (i.e. shared among peers, the public, communities and governments). Our interview data illuminate the various ways in which addiction stigma limits the possibilities and capacities of take-home naloxone and overdose prevention. First, we focus on how stigma may impede professional information provision about take-home naloxone by limiting the extent to which it is presented as a matter of interest for all opioid consumers, not just those who consume opioids illicitly. Second, we explore how stigma may limit the scale-up and expansion of programmes and access points. From here, we focus on how stigma co-constitutes the politics of overdose and prevention, rendering take-home naloxone ill-suited to many social settings of overdose. In closing, we point out that stigma is not just a post hoc impediment to access to and use of take-home naloxone but is central to opioid overdose production itself, and to effective prevention. While take-home naloxone is an excellent life-saving initiative, uncritically valorising it may divert attention from broader goals, such as the de-stigmatisation of drug consumption through decriminalisation, and other ambitious attempts to reduce overdose.

Association of Opioid Overdose Risk Factors and Naloxone Prescribing in US Adults

BACKGROUND

Prescribing naloxone to patients is a key strategy to prevent opioid overdoses, but little is known about the reach of naloxone prescribing.

OBJECTIVE

Determine patient factors associated with receiving naloxone and trends over time in patients with key overdose risk factors.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study.

PARTICIPANTS

Using the Clinformatics DataMart, a US-wide health insurance claims dataset, we compared adults who received opioids and naloxone (opioid+naloxone) from January 2014 to June 2017 with adults who received opioids without naloxone (opioids only), matched on gender, age ± 5 years, month/year of opioid fill, and number of opioid claims.

MAIN MEASURES

Key patient-level opioid overdose risk factors included receipt of high-dosage opioids, concurrent benzodiazepines, history of opioid and other substance use disorders, and history of opioid overdose.

RESULTS

We included 3963 opioid+naloxone and 19,815 opioid only patients. Key factors associated with naloxone fills included high opioid daily dosage (50 to < 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME): AOR = 2.43, 95% CI 2.15-2.76 and ≥ 90 MME: AOR = 3.94, 95% CI 3.47-4.46; reference: < 50 MME), receiving concurrent benzodiazepines (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.16-1.38), and having a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.40-1.73). History of opioid overdose was not associated with naloxone (AOR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.74-1.15). The percent of patients receiving naloxone increased, yet less than 2% of patients in any of the key overdose risk factor groups received naloxone by the last 6 months of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Naloxone prescribing has increased and was more likely to be co-prescribed to patients with some risk factors for overdose. However, overall prescribing remains minimal. Additional efforts are needed across health systems to increase naloxone prescribing for patients at risk for opioid overdose.

Utilizing content-knowledge questionnaires to assess study eligibility and detect deceptive responding

Background: Deceptive responding during eligibility screening presents a significant concern for assessing inclusion/exclusion criteria. This problem is compounded in settings for which biomarkers or other objective verification (e.g., urinalysis) are not feasible.Objectives: Introduce and describe content-knowledge questionnaires as an objective method for collaterally assessing study eligibility.Methods: Participants (N = 3772; 66.1% female) recruited using the crowdsourcing resource Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk) completed a Cannabis Knowledge Questionnaire (CKQ). The CKQ contained four-items indexing knowledge of typical cannabis costs, weights, and terminology. Self-reported cannabis use history was collected and compared to individual item and total scale scores. A separate in-laboratory assessment evaluated participants during in-person screening for cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine research protocols (N = 43).Results: Good internal consistency (α = .74) was observed. The most common correctly answered question was about dabbing (41.4%) followed by cannabis cost (37.6%), hybrid strains (36.6%), and estimated weight (29.7%). Current cannabis use was associated with large effect size increases in the rate of correct responses (RR = 3.64) as well as odds of a correct response on individual items (OR = 5.88-21.48). In the laboratory study, participants with a positive urine drug test for cannabis or those reporting lifetime regular cannabis use scored higher than those without this history (RR = 1.89-2.61).Conclusion: These findings highlight the efficiency and efficacy of including content-knowledge questionnaires for collateral assessment of study eligibility, especially when biomarkers are not possible. Future studies will be useful for extending this initial demonstration to alternative settings and substances.