National database launched to help doctors understand synthetic drugs

A new national database has been launched to help doctors understand the effects of new psychoactive substances (NPS).

The database was announced by health chiefs and launched on 22 March. Called the Report Illicit Drug Reaction (RIDR), it is expected to aid doctors who currently have a poor grasp and understanding of the banned drugs. To build up the database, medical staff, including prison-based medical staff, are being asked to report the symptoms of those patients they believe have taken drugs such as Spice or mephedrone. The aim of the RIDR website is that doctors will quickly be able to detect when varieties of new psychoactive substances are used and advise on how to treat overdoses.

In 2016, approximately 3% of the adult population aged between 16 and 24 used a synthetic drug. These were legal to buy and take, hence their name of ‘legal highs’, but were banned earlier in the year. The substances are known to be highly dangerous, but according to Public Health England, staff on the frontline of healthcare have only a poor understanding of the drugs. Until now, the medical profession has relied on data gathered from coroners’ reports and the latest crime figures, but this information soon becomes out of date, as it is believed that variants of known NPS are available to buy each week.

Public Health England, together with the Medicines and Products Regulatory Agency, is responsible for the RIDR database pilot programme.