Differential Patterns of Adherence to Opioid Therapy in Opioid Naïve and Opioid Existing Patients With Different Age Groups.

Limited data are available on the adherence to opioid therapy and the influence of different patient groups on adherence. This study examined the patterns of adherence in opioid naïve and opioid existing patients with varying age and gender. This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the prescription databases in tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia from 2010 to 2016.

Sex differences in high opioid dose escalation among Malaysian patients with long term opioid therapy.

This study evaluated the risk of opioid dose escalation as it relates to sex differences among patients receiving opioids for long-term therapy. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia using electronic prescription records. Opioid naïve patients, aged ≥18 years, who were undergoing long-term opioid therapy of ≥90 days, with at least one opioid prescription (buprenorphine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, dihydrocodeine or tramadol) between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2016, were included in the study.