In the four years between 2016 and 2019, more than 15,400 people died from opioid use, making it the most enduring public health crises in recent Canadian history. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the opioid poisoning crisis in Ontario. Effective treatment for opioid dependence is one of several key strategies to address this crisis. Like other conditions, there are different forms of treatment available, depending on individual needs, the severity of issues, and how individuals respond to treatment. For individuals with severe dependence, injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) has been shown to be effective and safe. Despite this evidence, and the increasing harms from the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, iOAT is not widely available in Ontario. This snapshot describes what we know about iOAT and focuses in on its availability in Ontario.
