How to respond to real-time drug alerts in European countries ?

First author: Sabrina Cherki
Other authors: Laura Smit-Rigter, Margot Balcaen, Maarten Degreef, Katri Abel-Ollo, Margriet van Laar
Title: How to respond to real-time drug alerts in European countries ?
Background
Over the past few years, new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been responsible for a highly unpredictable and variable market, highlighting the need for adequate preparedness and rapid response to public health challenges. Currently, each EU country has its own system to detect and respond to emerging drug-related threats. To harmonise national responses to cross-border drug-related threats, best practices on threat assessment, risk communication and other public health measures need to be shared, as well as national experiences on the use of the EU Early Warning System (EWS) operated by the European Drug Agency (EUDA).
 
Methods
Nitazenes are an emerging group of new synthetic opioids, monitored as NPS by the EU Early Warning System (EWS), that contain a benzimidazole core in their structure. They are characterised by high opioid receptor affinity and potency (much higher than heroin), posing a higher risk of overdose to exposed individuals.
The example of the current outbreak of acute poisonings due to nitazene opioids will be used to illustrate the functioning of different national early warning and alert systems and their interactions with the EU EWS. Over the past year, multiple countries in European Union and United Kingdom were concerned with significant opioid-related public health consequences. The products involved were either mis-sold as heroin or deliberately sought-after by people who use drugs for their extreme potency. Through the EU EWS several national drug alert systems were activated to manage risk communication and disseminate public health measures.
In this workshop, experiences from national early warning and drug alert systems will be discussed.  National case studies related to recent nitazene outbreaks either within the respective countries or in response to outbreaks in other countries within Europe will be presented by Belgium, Estonia, France, and The Netherlands.
Results and conclusions
The frameworks and experiences of contributing national early warning and drug alert systems and how these may fit with the European Drug Alert System will be discussed with participants of the workshop. Given the inherent differences between countries and cultures, lessons learned from other countries can feed individual alert systems and aid in translating applied national approaches to one’s own population.