The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says that statements regarding codeine made by state governments are unhelpful when they are not informed by evidence.
The states have written a joint letter calling on the Commonwealth Government to better manage the transition. New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard yesterday emphasised the Therapeutic Goods Administration was “the Federal Government’s agency so the Federal Government should fix it”.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel said there is no need for further consultation or review of evidence.
“The evidence is clear. Codeine is dangerous and the current situation is leading to very severe outcomes. 100 codeine related deaths is simply unacceptable, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg,” Dr Seidel said.
“There is no doubt that we need effective pain relief. But the evidence shows us that codeine is not a good form of pain relief, particularly over extended periods of time.
“There are many alternatives that provide just as much pain relief, in a much safer way.”
Dr Seidel said there would be no tsunami of patients going to GPs to get scripts once codeine is up scheduled.
“What we will see is a shift to safer, more effective pain relief,” Dr Seidel said.
Dr Seidel said he was looking forward to seeing a shift far away from the current situation.
“The current situation is leading to very severe outcomes,” Dr Seidel said.
“People don’t realise that codeine is metabolised into morphine, and no one would think to have morphine available over the counter.”