February 5, 2020

opioids in the UK

It is claimed that the opioid crisis in the US has caused over 70,000 drug overdose deaths and many more addictions.  But is the UK heading in the same direction?  The SMC has gathered some of the UK’s leading experts on opioids to answer some critical questions about the extent of the problem in the UK, the causes of the problem and potential solutions.

The experts dealt with all issues around opioids including how they work, whether they work for long term pain, are we over-prescribing? have we got the right regulatory oversight? and how our problems differ to the US.

Speakers included:

Dr Cathy Stannard, Consultant in pain medicine at NHS Gloucestershire

Prof Jamie Coleman, Professor in Clinical Pharmacology at University of Birmingham

Dr Li-Chia Chen, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety at University of Manchester