Israel Faces Opioid Crisis

There’s been a mixed bag of news coming out of Israel as far as the opioid crisis is concerned. Three years ago, Israel won the dubious distinction of being named No. 1 in the world in opioid consumption, defined as pain narcotics, including fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel recently issued a report warning that Israel is on the verge of an opioid epidemic.

On the other hand, scientists at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences say research has revealed new understandings of the brain’s potential ability to regulate the urge to consume fentanyl. This could suggest hope in the continuing worldwide battle against opioid addiction.

In research on mice, the scientists learned that by changing a certain type of brain cells, they could shift the amount of fentanyl consumed, demonstrating their influence on opioid consumption. The study also presented a method for studying opioid intake that more closely mirrored the reality in which humans take opioids.

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Professor Ami Citri, who led the research, stated, “Our findings shed light on the intricate relationship between the brain and fentanyl consumption.” He suggested that the research indicates “a new avenue for interventions aimed at curbing addiction.”

The research conclusions could have a huge impact not only in Israel, but in the U.S. where opioid consumption has reached epidemic proportions. In 2021, the U.S. reported 80,000 deaths from opioid overdoses. International studies indicate that outpatient opioid consumption largely stems from fentanyl consumption by non-elderly and non-malignant patients and among patients of low socioeconomic status.

According to the Taub Center report, in the first half of the last decade, there was an increase in the use of oxycodone and fentanyl in Israel. Between 2012 and 2015, the rate of opioid consumption was the highest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The International Narcotics Control Board said Israel surpassed the U.S. with the highest prescription narcotics consumption in the world in 2020.

The latest news out of Israel follows the U.S. federal appeals court ruling in May that stated that the owners of Purdue Pharma, which made drugs such as OxyContin and is blamed for fueling the opioid epidemic, would be protected from civil lawsuits linked to the opioid crisis in exchange for a $6 billion settlement. Pharma was owned by the Jewish Sackler family. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019, after reportedly earning the Sackler family billions of dollars. The $6 billion settlement is to be given to states, cities and individuals harmed by opioid addiction and overdoses. The ruling also required that the Sacklers give up control of Purdue Pharma.

According to the Taub Center report, in the first half of the last decade, there was an increase in the use of oxycodone and fentanyl in Israel. Between 2012 and 2015, the rate of opioid consumption was the highest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The International Narcotics Control Board said Israel surpassed the U.S. with the highest prescription narcotics consumption in the world in 2020.

After years of controversy and the May ruling, finally in June, Tel Aviv University took the name Sackler off its medical school, in an agreement with the Sackler family. Sackler, however, still adorns the Faculty of Exact Sciences at Tel Aviv University which has received large donations from the Sackler family for years.

In a statement from both the university and the Sackler family, they stated, “For the last 50 years, the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University has proudly borne the Sackler family name. In a continuing desire and commitment to assist the university and the faculty to raise funds for medical research, the Sackler family has kindly agreed to remove their name from the Faculty of Medicine.”

As reported in Israeli media, the ethics committee director at Physicians for Human Rights stated, “After years of struggle, the name of the Sackler family is finally being removed from the institution that educates the doctors of the future. I hope that this courageous move will also lead to decisive actions in the fight against the opioid epidemic, as well as to curbing the influence of the pharmaceutical companies on the heath community and its considerations.”

Other institutions around the world have removed the Sackler name from their facilities, including Oxford University, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also in New York City.