Open AccessThe need for better access to pain treatment: learning from drug consumption trends in the USA
Author(s) -
Damiana Scuteri,
Brunella Piro,
Luigi Antonio Morrone,
Maria Tiziana Corasaniti,
Marilù Vulnera,
Giacinto Bagetta
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
functional neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.505
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1971-3274
pISSN - 0393-5264
DOI - 10.11138/fneur/2017.32.4.229
Subject(s) - consumption (sociology) , analgesic , medicine , chronic pain , drug , psychiatry , sociology , social science
The Authors of this letter look at consumption of opioids and a2- ligands, also known as "gabapentinoids", in Italy, and specifically in the Provincial Health District of Cosenza, as compared with USA trends of recent decades. Access to analgesic drugs since the introduction of Italian law 38/2010 is also evaluated and possible future measures for better management of chronic pain are proposed.