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The U.S. saw prescriptions and overdoses drop around 20 per cent. But Canada has seen the problem worsen, particularly on First Nations reserves, say most observers.

‘We want the whole class of opioids to go tamper-resistant’

Ambrose said Canada had 410,00 people abusing prescription drugs in 2012. She said she suspects the country is now the world’s largest user of opioids, on a per-capita basis.

“That’s why we are basically reversing the decision [on generics],” she said.

She denied that it was a mistake to approve the generics in the first place. “It wasn’t a mistake. The framework in which Health Canada scientists were making the decision was ‘Is this effective for pain relief?’, without looking at the other implications for public health. So that’s why we’re going to change it.”

Hedy Fry, the Liberal health critic, said Ambrose signalled the expansion of opioid supply by generic manufacturers was a concern two years ago, but has done nothing about it.

“During that time there have been increasing addiction numbers in Canada, particularly among First Nations. Excuse my cynicism but this is an election year,” she said. “She is worried this is going to come back to haunt her, so she is doing something about it.”

The government is already at an advanced stage in requiring all manufacturers of controlled-release oxycodone drugs to render their product tamper-resistant, so that they are tougher to crush, snort or inject.

Purdue Pharma’s OxyNEO, the replacement for OxyContin is already tamper-proof, turning to mush when crushed. The new regulations will force other manufacturers to follow suit.