In the years of the late 2000s, the use of oxycodone in both primary care and hospital care increased significantly in Denmark while the use of morphine decreased. Although oxycodone and morphine are considered equally effective and safe, oxycodone is much more expensive than morphine. Therefore, morphine is more cost effective than oxycodone. In primary care, in particular, the price of oxycodone is about 2–3 times higher than that of morphine.

Public health insurance in Denmark pays up to 80% of the medication costs for patients in primary care and the regions pays all costs for patients in hospital care. On this basis, it is economically very important that drug use in both sectors …