The changing landscape of pharmaceutical alternatives to the unregulated drug supply during COVID-19

This study found that clinics providing pharmaceutical alternatives to the street drug supply in Canada were able to adapt and transform service implementation and delivery early on COVID-19 pandemic. While most changes were aimed at decreasing risk of COVID-19 infection, some were found to be at odds with the measures needed to combat the overdose crisis. Others met dual objectives, aiming to decrease risk of both overdose and infection. While further research is needed to examine which changes should be kept or reversed in a post-COVID environment, these findings highlight the potential for rapid change in clinics focused on treating addiction and responding to the overdose crisis and are highly relevant in light of the current public health situation.