Switzerland's Dependence on a Diamorphine Monopoly.

ABSTRACT: In 2021, the manufacturer of diamorphine reported a possible impending shortage for Switzerland and Germany. This led us to investigate this controlled medicine's manufacture, market, and regulatory constraints. Based on our analysis of legal texts and gray literature in the form of reports and documents, we propose recommendations to prevent and address diamorphine shortages in Switzerland. Diamorphine, also known as pharmaceutical "heroin," is used medically to treat persons with severe opioid use disorder in a handful of countries. The controlled medicine is manufactured from morphine, which, in turn, is extracted from opium poppies. Studying data from the International Narcotics Control Board for 2019, we find that Switzerland accounts for almost half of the worldwide medical consumpti

SUBMITTER: Schmitt-Koopmann C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9125182 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature