The other opioid crisis – people in poor countries can’t get the pain medication they need
The INCB worried that too many opioid prescriptions could lead to abuse
The Conversation (US)
Friday, March 25, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Hospitals in the U.S. and Europe routinely prescribe opioids for chronic cancer pain, end-of-life palliative care and some forms of acute pain, like bone fractures, sickle cell crises and burns. But patients with these conditions in much of Asia, Africa and Latin America often receive painkillers no stronger than acetaminophen. Many factors play into this crisis, but I would argue that the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), an independent monitoring agency established by the U.N., is a fundamental cause of untreated pain in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
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