More than 100 cases a day of opioid theft or loss complaints are pouring into the federal health department each day..And Blacklock’s Reporter says the department had a backlog of 20,000 reports it failed to track, and no idea of the volume of drugs diverted to the black market..“We found loss and theft reports were submitted primarily via fax and that approximately 100 reports were received each day,” said an audit..The investigation found “the number of reports received was not tracked” and pharmacies with suspiciously high numbers of thefts were rarely inspected..“We analyzed loss and theft data for 2018 provided by the Office of Controlled Substances and identified the region with the highest amount of stolen controlled substances in pharmacies was Newfoundland and Labrador,” wrote auditors..“Yet according to the 2018 inspection log provided by the program, only 1% of pharmacy inspections were conducted in Newfoundland.”.The Controlled Drugs And Substances Act requires pharmacies obtain federal permits when storing or distributing narcotics, like opioids..Auditors said despite the fact there are 10,000 pharmacies nationwide, less than 600 were typically inspected yearly, “approximately five percent coverage.” .Parliament in 2017 rewrote the Act to give inspectors powers to fine scofflaws, though not a single fine had been levied to date, said the report..“Loss and theft of controlled substances from pharmacies is an example of how these substances can be diverted to the illegal market, but not all loss or theft of controlled substances are reported by pharmacies,” said the audit..“It therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the actual amount diverted versus the total amount in the system at any given time.”.Inspections of pharmacies were random and appeared haphazard, wrote auditors. Even pharmacists cited for breach of the law were not subjected to follow-up inspections..Where pharmacies were proven to have suspicious activities regarding opioids, federal inspectors typically took seven months to notify local licensing boards..“Data collection and analysis was done in an ad hoc manner,” said the report..The audit follows Access To Information records indicating in the period from 2000 to 2015 pharmacies nationwide reported more than 1.7 million Oxycodone pills were lost or stolen. Robberies were the leading cause, followed by “unexplained” disappearance of inventory..The Senate social affairs committee in a 2014 report cited evidence Ontario sales of Oxycodone grew 850% in the period from 1991 to 2007, and between 300,000 and 900,000 Canadians were non-medical users of opioid painkillers..“This is totally unacceptable,” then-Senator Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (N.S.), chair of the committee, told reporters at the time..“It’s tragic, and a total breakdown in protection of distribution. I’m dumbfounded the system could allow that much loss and not do anything about it.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
More than 100 cases a day of opioid theft or loss complaints are pouring into the federal health department each day..And Blacklock’s Reporter says the department had a backlog of 20,000 reports it failed to track, and no idea of the volume of drugs diverted to the black market..“We found loss and theft reports were submitted primarily via fax and that approximately 100 reports were received each day,” said an audit..The investigation found “the number of reports received was not tracked” and pharmacies with suspiciously high numbers of thefts were rarely inspected..“We analyzed loss and theft data for 2018 provided by the Office of Controlled Substances and identified the region with the highest amount of stolen controlled substances in pharmacies was Newfoundland and Labrador,” wrote auditors..“Yet according to the 2018 inspection log provided by the program, only 1% of pharmacy inspections were conducted in Newfoundland.”.The Controlled Drugs And Substances Act requires pharmacies obtain federal permits when storing or distributing narcotics, like opioids..Auditors said despite the fact there are 10,000 pharmacies nationwide, less than 600 were typically inspected yearly, “approximately five percent coverage.” .Parliament in 2017 rewrote the Act to give inspectors powers to fine scofflaws, though not a single fine had been levied to date, said the report..“Loss and theft of controlled substances from pharmacies is an example of how these substances can be diverted to the illegal market, but not all loss or theft of controlled substances are reported by pharmacies,” said the audit..“It therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the actual amount diverted versus the total amount in the system at any given time.”.Inspections of pharmacies were random and appeared haphazard, wrote auditors. Even pharmacists cited for breach of the law were not subjected to follow-up inspections..Where pharmacies were proven to have suspicious activities regarding opioids, federal inspectors typically took seven months to notify local licensing boards..“Data collection and analysis was done in an ad hoc manner,” said the report..The audit follows Access To Information records indicating in the period from 2000 to 2015 pharmacies nationwide reported more than 1.7 million Oxycodone pills were lost or stolen. Robberies were the leading cause, followed by “unexplained” disappearance of inventory..The Senate social affairs committee in a 2014 report cited evidence Ontario sales of Oxycodone grew 850% in the period from 1991 to 2007, and between 300,000 and 900,000 Canadians were non-medical users of opioid painkillers..“This is totally unacceptable,” then-Senator Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (N.S.), chair of the committee, told reporters at the time..“It’s tragic, and a total breakdown in protection of distribution. I’m dumbfounded the system could allow that much loss and not do anything about it.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
