Chihuahua.- The State Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (Coespris) reported that so far there is no health alert in Mexico regarding the use of fentanyl for medical purposes, however permanent monitoring is being carried out in pharmacies and sanctions are warned for those who incur it. in irregularities.
Dr. Luis Carlos Tarín, commissioner of Coespris, recommended to the public that in order to dispense controlled medication it is important to have the prescription prescribed in consultation by a professional doctor and go to established pharmacies.
He clarified that Cofepris has not yet issued any report on this case in Mexico, as it happens in the United States, derived from the deaths that are occurring due to the legal or illegal use of fentanyl and other opioids.
He informed that the Commission at the local level periodically carries out the verification of pharmacies, with the objective of following up on the existing regulations regarding the sale of controlled medicines, and sanctions are applied to establishments that have presented irregularities.
In the same way, for the treatment of any illness or condition, it is important to go for an assessment in a health unit, where the appropriate medication is provided.
Coespris sanctions five pharmaceutical establishments
So far in 2023, the State Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks, through the supervision and verification of pharmacies, has carried out 5 suspensions of pharmaceutical establishments that have presented irregularities.
Dr. Luis Carlos explained that these suspensions occurred in the municipalities of Juárez with 2, Delicias with 1, Cuauhtémoc with 1 and Nueva Casas Grandes 1. All of these entail the application of the corresponding fine.
However, he added, there is no record of suspensions to pharmacies due to the sale of medication with fentanyl and/or methamphetamine, as referred to in the United States health alert.
Medical use of fentanyl
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used as an analgesic or anesthetic to treat severe pain. It was chemically synthesized for the first time in 1959 for the treatment of patients with chronic pain, terminal stages or surgical operations.
Since 1964 it has been subjected to international supervision by the United Nations (UN). According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, as well as 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin.
Depending on the purity, a dose of two milligrams can be fatal to a person. Carfentanil, an analogous substance derived from fentanyl, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and is primarily for veterinary use.
The effects of its consumption range from euphoria, sedation, nausea, drowsiness and dry mouth, to cardiorespiratory arrest, reduced blood pressure, seizures and, in the worst case, death from overdose.
According to the investigation whose authorship falls on the director of Political Analysis and Security of the SIE Consultant, Josue Ángel Torres, Mexico is a key player in the international market for fentanillo.
