Perth doctor George O’Neil labelled ‘serious risk’, banned from prescribing treatment for drug addiction

Perth doctor George O’Neil, whose pioneering work with naltrexone transformed addiction treatment in this country, is being torpedoed by the Medical Board of Australia. The board has deemed Dr O’Neil a “serious risk” and has rescinded his right to prescribe two medications critical to the treatment of people hooked on a range of prescription and illicit drugs. With hundreds of patients forced to go cold turkey, the WA Government is bracing for a wave of addicts to front up at emergency departments after falling off the wagon. The ban on Dr O’Neil prescribing Flumazenil and benzodiazepines took effect on Thursday. It was instigated at the behest of a member of the South Australian Medical Board who reviewed a complaint from the family of a Midland addict who was part of Dr O’Neil’s Fresh Start program. The 22-year-old man claimed he was taking between 20 and 40 Xanax tablets a day when he presented at the Subiaco clinic in October 2024. Dr O’Neil put him on a six-day course of Flumazenil. The so-called benzodiazepine antagonist is typically used in overdose emergencies but Fresh Start claims to have harnessed its power in a slow-release form. The Medical Board inquiry questioned the safety of Flumazenil, which some doctors have concluded should be used in research settings only. When The West contacted Dr O’Neil he said he was unable to comment on the case. People close to him say he is determined to appeal the ruling but a final call is months away. In the meantime, he is unable to dispense two drugs which form the backbone of his treatment program. Hundreds of addicts now need to find an alternate rehabilitation service at a time when many clinics are operating at capacity. “Decisions to impose conditions on a practitioner’s registration are not made lightly and are made in the interests of public safety after careful consideration,” a spokesperson for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency said. “Such action is only taken when there is clear and considered evidence indicating that intervention is necessary. Our primary responsibility is to ensure that all practitioners are practising safely and in line with the professional standards expected in Australia. “Confidentiality provisions of the national law under which we operate limit what we can say publicly about an individual practitioner or matter. “We cannot comment on matters relating to individual practitioners beyond information that is already on the public record, including the register of practitioners. “When a board decides that conditions are no longer needed to protect the public, they are removed from the practitioner’s registration, and the information is no longer published.” The WA Government, which gives Fresh Start a modest subsidy through the Mental Health Commission, believes addicts would still be able to get help. “The Mental Health Commission has advised that other medical practitioners employed by Fresh Start will be able to continue providing treatment for their clients,” the spokesperson said. “The State Government funds a wide range of treatment options for people seeking help for alcohol and drug dependency.” Dr O’Neil has courted controversy ever since he opened Fresh Start 30 years ago. He fought for the right to administer naltrexone to heroin users in place of methadone, which people can become addicted to.