2. New challenges in drug monitoring: wastewater analysis as an alternative indicators for rapid epidemiological assessment of drug use trend

Addiction is a complex evolving disorders, with constant changes at all levels. As an example, along the last decade we assisted to a dramatic change in the pattern of use of drugs, moving towards new psychoactive sustances and intensive pattern of consumption. Monitoring the evolving nature of drugs influences monitoring the complex evolution of addiction in a patient. We need to address this rapid change by correctly monitoring the use and impact of drugs, adapting the existing therapies to the newer scenarios, Waste wáter analysis intends to become a new indicator of use of drugs, using latest-state-of the art approaches, that will add valuable information to Clinical practice, helping to create an innovative protocol to identify emerging problems (new psychoactive sustances, new trends, etc).

New monitoring indicators need to be accurate and capable of responding in real time to the emerging problems in the field of Addiction. The presentation will describe the multidisciplinar interactive approache designed by RIAPAd by the concerted action of groups of chemists, toxicologists, and medical doctors, arranged to establish an accurate way of detection far beyond of the standards currently implemented.

The presentation will repor the latest information on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) from Spain, compared to international level. In addition, it will be compared with the latest information on drug use on emergency room-based epidemiology from main Spain Hospitals.

Data will be discussed on current epidemiological information reported by official institutions/agencie (Including EMCDDA). The utility of forwarding directly waste water reports to clinical setting, emergency rooms and outpatient settings will be further discussed.