5th Edition of Addiction World Conference 2026

Abstract

Background: The growing demand for Hospice and Palliative Care HPC highlights gaps in opioid access, with only 16% of Chinese patients receiving morphine. Barriers include limited knowledge, strict regulations, and uneven distribution. Urgent research is needed to improve opioid availability and pain management, especially in LMICs and primary health care PHC settings.
Methods: We originally conducted a retrospective longitudinal study to analyze the availability of opioid analgesics in HPC services within PHC institutions of the earliest pilot frontier province of China, and compared the findings with major medication guidelines and international data evidence.
Results: The number of PHC institutions providing opioid analgesics increased steadily from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, 51 of 253 institutions offered strong opioids, with morphine and fentanyl being the most commonly used. Opioid availability remained rather low <25%, with a slight increase in consumption MUD 1.69 to 1.83 DDD/100,000 person-days. Availability of IAHPC listed opioids was 83.33%, but only 38.46% of recommended formulations were included in the national essential medicines list.
Conclusion: The availability and consumption of opioid analgesics in PHC institutions in China remain low, with limited access to essential formulations recommended by the IAHPC. Targeted research is urgently needed to address cultural, economic, and political barriers, improve opioid accessibility, and better meet the pain relief needs of patients, particularly in HPC and cancer care settings in PHC settings.