A groundbreaking development is on the horizon as the world’s first international standard for assessing dependence on stimulant-type narcotics is set to be established, addressing the varying criteria across countries.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday that it is collaborating with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to develop international guidelines.
Recently, the FDA hosted a conference in Rome, Italy, bringing together experts from the FDA, UNODC, and various countries to discuss the draft of international guidelines for assessing dependence on stimulant-type narcotics.
According to the FDA, there are currently no internationally standardized criteria for assessing drug dependence. This lack of consistency has hindered uniform responses to the designation and management of new psychoactive substances, as scientific evidence and evaluation results differ from country to country. To address this issue, the FDA and UNODC are working to create a drug dependence assessment system that ensures reliability and consistency across nations.
The current phase involves revising and refining the guidelines based on the conference outcomes. Global expert opinions will be gathered from September to November, with the final version slated for publication in December.
These guidelines will focus on stimulant-type drugs, including methamphetamine, MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine, methylphenidate, and cathinone derivatives. They will outline essential criteria for drug dependence assessment, such as types of laboratory animals, equipment setup, testing principles, detailed methodologies, result analysis techniques, and evaluation considerations.
Last year, the FDA and UNODC established and distributed the world’s first international guidelines for assessing dependence on opioid narcotics, including morphine, heroin, and fentanyl. The current guidelines for stimulant-type drugs are a follow-up, with the FDA planning to develop a total of four international guidelines by 2028.
During this expert meeting, participants also discussed developing training programs to expand the use of the international guidelines for assessing dependence on opioid narcotics established last year. Experts agreed on piloting the training program in South Korea before expanding it globally, and committed to collaborating on securing funding for UNODC-level training programs and international dissemination.
The FDA expressed optimism that once these guidelines are established, they will create an official standard in the previously unregulated area of stimulant-type drug dependence assessment, enabling countries to designate and manage new psychoactive substances more swiftly and accurately.
The FDA stated that it will continue to collaborate with the international community to establish a standardized drug assessment system, ensuring that South Korean standards can become the global benchmark.
The UNODC, established in 1997, is an organization under the United Nations (UN) that oversees responses to illegal drugs and international crime. It supports member countries in strengthening their drug management capabilities and leads the development of international standards.