Analysis of opioid analgesic consumption in Africa

The analysis in the study by Yacine Hadjiat and colleagues1 of persistently low and stagnant medical consumption trends of opioids in Africa adds to the literature by revealing disparities between anglophone and francophone countries on the continent. Although the study did not identify the cause of these disparities in opioid availability, it does list low resources and inflated prices, inadequate workforce training, awareness of the benefits of opioid therapy, fear of addiction, and sourcing issues as major barriers to “adequate” consumption as defined by the International Narcotics Control Board.