The complex relation between access to opioid agonist therapy and diversion of opioid medications: a case example of large-scale misuse of buprenorphine in the Czech Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00023752%3A_____%2F18%3A43919602" target="_blank" >RIV/00023752:_____/18:43919602 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11110/18:10385608

Result on the web

<a href="https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-018-0268-0" target="_blank" >https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-018-0268-0</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12954-018-0268-0" target="_blank" >10.1186/s12954-018-0268-0</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The complex relation between access to opioid agonist therapy and diversion of opioid medications: a case example of large-scale misuse of buprenorphine in the Czech Republic

Original language description

Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) has been available in a standard regime in the Czech Republic since 2000. Buprenorphine is the leading medication, while methadone is available only in a few specialised centres. There is an important leakage of buprenorphine onto the illicit market, and the majority of Czech opioid users are characterised by the misuse (and injecting) of diverted buprenorphine medications. Most prescribed buprenorphine for OAT is not covered by current national health insurance schemes, and patients have to pay considerable prices to afford their treatment. This affordability barrier together with limited accessibility is likely the leading factor of limited coverage of OAT and of recent stagnation in the number of patients in the official treatment programmes in the Czech Republic. It also encourages doctor shopping and the re-selling of parts of their medication at a higher price, which represents the main factor that drives the Czech illicit market for buprenorphine, but at the same time co-finances the medication of clients in official OAT programmes. Improving access to OAT by making it financially affordable is essential to further increase OAT coverage and is one of the factors that can reduce the illicit market with OAT medications.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

30312 - Substance abuse

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Harm Reduction Journal

ISSN

1477-7517

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

15

Issue of the periodical within the volume

"Article Number: 60"

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

1-11

UT code for WoS article

000452320900002

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85057748742