title: Reform of drug control policy for palliative care in Romania.
abstract: Unrelieved pain from cancer and HIV/AIDS is a substantial worldwide public-health problem. Inadequate pain relief is partly due to excessively strict national drug-control policies that constrain medical use of essential medicines such as morphine. Romania's drug-control policies are more than 35 years old and impose an antiquated regulatory system that is based on inpatient post-surgical management of acute pain that restricts prescription authority and makes access to opioid treatment difficult for outpatients with severe chronic pain due to cancer or HIV/AIDS. A Ministry of Health palliative-care commission used WHO guidelines to assess and recommend changes to Romania's national drug control law and regulations. The Romanian parliament has adopted a new law that will simplify prescribing requirements and allow modern pain management. Achievement of adequate pain relief is a vital part of worldwide health and will be dependent on reform of antidrug regulations in many countries.
authors.affiliation: Hospice Casa Sperantei, Brasov, 500074 Romania.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mosoiu
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Joranson
authors.forename: Jody P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Garthwaite
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002648:Child; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D009020:Morphine; D009369:Neoplasms; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D010166:Palliative Care; D012383:Romania; D013219:State Government
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009020:Morphine