Pronounced Declines in Meperidine in the US: Is the End Imminent?

Abstract

Background: Once a widely used analgesic in the United States (US), meperidine offered an alternative opioid to other opioids as a pain reliever and was widely assumed to be safer with acute pancreatitis. However, within the last two decades meperidine, has gone from a frequently used drug to being used only when patients exhibit atypical reactions to opioids (e.g., morphine and hydromorphone), to being taken off the World Health Organization List of Essential Medications and receiving strong recommendations for overall avoidance. The aim of this study was to identify changes in meperidine distribution in the US, and regional disparities as reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (DEA ARCOS) and Medicaid. Methods: Data related to meperidine distribution was obtained through ARCOS (2001–2021) and Medicaid public use files (2016–2021). Heat maps were used to visualize regional disparities in distribution by state. States outside a 95% confidence interval were statistically significant. Results: Meperidine distribution between 2001 and 2021 decreased by 97.4% (R = −0.97, p < 0.0001). There was a 34-fold state-level difference in meperidine distribution between Arkansas (16.8 mg/10 persons) and Connecticut (0.5 mg/10 persons) in 2020. Meperidine distribution in 2020 was elevated in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. In 2021, meperidine distribution was highest in Arkansas (16.7 mg/10 persons) and lowest in Connecticut (0.8 mg/10 persons). Total prescriptions of meperidine as reported by Medicaid decreased by 73.8% (R = −0.67, p = 0.045) between 2016 and 2021. Conclusion: We observed a decrease in the overall distribution of meperidine in the past two decades, with a similar recent decline in prescribing it to Medicaid enrollees. The shortage of some parenteral formulations is an important contributor to these declines, however, the most likely explanation for this global decline in use is related to an increased recognition of safety concerns related to important drug interactions and a neurotoxic metabolite. This data may reflect plans to phase out the use of this opioid, especially in the many situations where safer and more preferred opioids are available.