Alberta offers free, same-day Sublocade access as overdoses rise

Alberta has added Sublocade, an injectable opioid treatment, to its publicly funded formulary—the first province in Canada to do so. The drug, an injectable version of Suboxone, stays in a person’s system for a month, lowering cravings and providing some protection against overdose. It’s covered for people diagnosed with an opioid use disorder, and available, with a prescription, from pharmacies or clinics. "It takes away opioid sickness, reduces craving for drugs, and has the potential to block overdose," said Dr. Nathaniel Day, from Alberta Health Services. People can call 1-844-383-7688 to get directed to treatment, including Sublocade, the same day. The move came after overdose calls to emergency services spiked: From Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, Edmonton had 140 opioid-related EMS responses, and Calgary had 85. In both cities, that was more than three times the number during the same time period in 2020. Read: Minister Bennett says national opioid crisis plan to be informed by proposals in B.C. Dr. Monty Ghosh, president of the Alberta Medical Association, described having the drug covered as a “game-changer” in Alberta. “This will increase treatment options for individuals with opioid addiction. Addiction medicine physicians across Alberta will be grateful to have another tool to treat opioid addiction, especially for our various vulnerable clients who previously could not afford this life-saving medication,” he said. More than 1,000 people have died from drug poisoning in Alberta between January and August, putting the province on track to have the most drug poisoning deaths in a year on record. This move is accompanied by other moves to limit the harm of drugs, such as the Digital Overdose Response System (DORS) app, and expanding Alberta’s Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. Critics like Lori Sigurdson, NDP critic for mental health and addictions, said it was not enough and more harm-reduction strategies were needed to effectively deal with the crisis. More: Pharmacists play range of roles in opioid stewardship: study

Alberta offers free, same-day Sublocade access as overdoses rise

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics