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Using opioids in general practice for chronic non-cancer pain: an overview of current evidence

David C Currow, Jane Phillips and Katherine Clark
Med J Aust 2016; 205 (7): . || doi: 10.5694/mja16.00618
Published online: 3 October 2016

The letter by Alderman and colleagues is a timely reminder of the continued importance of post-marketing surveillance, especially for medications with frequently encountered and well characterised harms. As outlined, such surveillance must include all medications, whether or not they are subsidised or sold over the counter, in order to account for drug–host and drug–drug interactions.


  • 1 Flinders University, Adelaide, SA
  • 2 University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW
  • 3 Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW
  • 4 University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW


Correspondence: david.currow@sa.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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