International trends in prescription opioid sales among developed and developing economies, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional analysis of 66 countries.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

We sought to compare trends in opioid purchasing between developed and developing economies to understand patterns of opioid consumption, and how they were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of retail pharmacy opioid sales from 66 jurisdictions between July 2014 and August 2020. We measured monthly population-adjusted rate of opioid units purchased, stratified by development group and country, and used interventional time series analysis to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of opioid purchasing among developed and developing economies separately.

Results

Rates of opioid purchasing were generally higher among developed economies, although trends differed considerably by development gro

SUBMITTER: Gomes T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9088547 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature