Tianeptine – emerging as a public health risk

Tianeptine is an antidepressant drug available in over 60 countries worldwide.  The Australian TGA has recently become aware that tianeptine has been offered for sale under product name Stablon on at least one Australian website in powder form, and thus a submission for scheduling has been lodged. Safety concerns have been raised that tianeptine is being abused, and poses a public health risk, requiring restrictions on its use. There has been discussion about the relative merits of tianeptine (refer here), but what is clear is that because the drug has mu opioid receptor agonist properties, in some parts of the world it has become a medication that is misused, and that deaths have resulted (refer here). With online pharmacies and the associated phenomenon of less effective ability to regulate drugs in various jurisdictions, it is now apparent that tianeptine is yet another cause for concern associated with drug misuse, an issue that seems to have emerged in the USA but which is expected to spread to other parts of the world.