Delisted! Oxycontin & OxyNeo

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

Certain provinces have decided to remove public funding of OxyContin and OxyNeo from provincial formularies and therefore government will not cover the costs. This is in response to battle against the widespread and growing addiction of opioids. However, the move to do this does not solve the widespread addiction and may further drive a black market for these opioids from drug addicts.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to be at the issue stage at the cusp of a risk since this change has just been announced. Though they have made this small change, in general, the removal of public funding doesn’t address the issue of drug abuse within the system. This coupled with the fact that there a lot of other options out there means that the system will still need to address the risks that exist with drug abuse. This is a crisis stage for Abott as removal of any drug off the formulary results in major losses in sales and revenues for the company. 

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system appears to be handing the situation moderately. Granted that changes in government take time, this small step does progress towards the right direction. Further, though the drug has been delisted, it still will be available for those who have existing prescriptions for the old drug and for cancer and palliative-care patients.  The system would be handling the situation better if they could address the concern of a potential larger black market. Also the system has also delisted OxyNeo which is suppose to more difficult to crush and breakdown. This seems counter intuitive, as the medication would really be used to treat pain versus used to get high.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

     I would say the system has a level 2.5 in terms of prepardness as they are announcing removal of         both drugs now and communicating this information to the public. However, there are still many issues that need to be addressed and I am unsure if the system at this point has a plan to address different scenarios that may arise from the removal of this drug.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I am surprised at the move to delist the drug, as it doesn’t solve any major issues since the drug is still available to those with private insurance policies.  The system is addressing a symptom of the issue rather than the root cause. Also, no doubt the switch will cause other issues within the system that have yet to be identified. I would be interested to see what happens as the changes come into effect. 

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would advise the provinces to work together and form a committee, to first address what potential issues may arise as a result of this change, scan the environment for potential risks arising and have a risk management plan to deal with these potential issues as well as a communication plan to the public. Further, the committee should have a plan to manage and deal with the potential  of a larger and more aggressive black market for such drugs.


Article Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/addiction/health-addiction/oxycontin-delisting-not-the-answer-to-opioid-addiction-experts-say/article2349474/