$1.3 trillion federal appropriations bill loaded with new health care spending Last Friday, President Trump signed a massive $1.3 trillion federal spending bill—the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. It is loaded with new spending for health care programs that were supported by the California Medical Association (CMA). Unfortunately, it did not include two bills that CMA was strongly promoting – the Affordable Care Act (ACA) market stabilization bill and a permanent solution for the nearly 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients. A brief summary of the federal spending bill is below. Bipartisan ACA Market Stabilization: CMA, the American Medical ... April 5, 2018 General Affordable Care Act, Drug Abuse, Federal Budget, Federal Legislative Advocacy, Firearms, Graduate Medical Education, Guns, Mental Health, Opioids 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA restricts use of cough and cold medicines with codeine or hydrocodone for kids The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that cough and cold medicines containing codeine and hydrocodone should not be prescribed to children and adolescents because of serious safety risks posed by the opioid ingredients. The FDA also announced that such products will now be required to carry "boxed warnings" – the FDA’s strongest warning – that highlight the risks misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, death, and slowed or difficult breathing. According to the FDA, it is taking this action after an extensive review that determined the risks associated with ... January 30, 2018 General Food and Drug Administration, Opioids, Pediatrics 0 0 Comment Read More »
Help save lives: Co-prescribe naloxone to patients at risk of opioid overdose For more than 40 years, the life-saving opioid overdose antidote naloxone has been used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Timely administration of naloxone has saved tens of thousands of lives. The American Medical Association Opioid Task Force, of which the California Medical Association (CMA) is a member, recently issued updated guidance encouraging physicians to consider co-prescribing naloxone when clinically appropriate for patients who are at risk for opioid overdose or might be in a position to help someone else at risk. The updated guidance includes several important questions that ... October 19, 2017 General Drug Prescribing, Opioids 0 0 Comment Read More »
Saturday, Oct. 28, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, October 28, 2017, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On this day, hundreds of locations throughout California will be accepting and properly disposing of unused prescription drugs, including controlled substances. Proper disposal of unused prescription drugs helps prevent diversion and misuse associated with these medications. This one-day event will provide patients with free, anonymous collection of unwanted and expired medicines. The last National Take Back event collected 450 tons of unwanted prescription drugs at almost 9,700 collection sites nationwide. In addition to providing a safe, convenient and responsible means ... October 19, 2017 General Opioids, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA says harm of untreated opioid addiction outweighs risks of concomitant benzodiazepine use Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction is an important tool that has the potential to help millions of Americans with an opioid use disorder. In fact, patients receiving MAT cut their risk of death from all causes in half, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. However, health care providers and patients face significant challenges when determining how best to treat opioid use disorder, especially when the MAT drugs contain methadone or buprenorphine – which are also opioids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued ... October 13, 2017 General Drub Abuse, Drug Prescribing, Medical Solutions to Drug Abuse, Opioids 0 0 Comment Read More »
NASEM issues major report on pain management and opioid use The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) issued a report last week, "Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use," detailing the dual public health challenges of undertreated pain and opioid use disorder. The report, requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), highlights actions health care professionals and government agencies could take to stem the prevalence of opioid misuse without denying access to opioids for patients suffering from pain. The 18-member committee that worked over a year ... July 24, 2017 General Drug Prescribing Opioids, Opioids, Pain Medicine, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free CME: Medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is offering two free training sessions on the use of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. The training, “The Effective Use of Medication Assisted Treatment in an Opioid Dependent Population,” will be held in Sacramento on July 18 and repeated in Orange County on July 20. Registration is first-come, first-served. Attendance is capped at 100 participants – you must register by July 3. Physicians can receive up to 7 continuing medical education (CME) credits. To register, click on the links below: ... June 22, 2017 General Continuing Medical Education, Drug Abuse, Medical Solutions to Drug Abuse, Opioids, CME 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA wants opioid pulled from market due to risk of abuse Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that Endo Pharmaceuticals remove its opioid pain medication, reformulated Opana ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride), from the market. After careful consideration, the agency is concerned that the benefits of the drug may no longer outweigh its risks. This is the first time the FDA has taken steps to remove a currently marketed opioid pain medication from sale due to the public health consequences of abuse. The FDA’s decision is based on a review of all available data and follows a March 2017 ... June 21, 2017 General Food and Drug Administration, Prescription Drugs, Drug Abuse, Opioids 0 0 Comment Read More »
DHCS gets federal grant to increase access to opioid treatment in California The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has received a $90 million grant from the federal government to expand drug treatment services in California, primarily in counties and tribal communities that have higher rates of opioid-related overdose deaths. One key initiative will target those areas with an innovative approach to increase access to medications used to treat opioid addiction. DHCS will use a large portion of the grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to expand Californians’ access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders, ... May 22, 2017 General Drug Abuse, Medical Solutions to Drug Abuse, Opioids, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
Large insurers drop barriers to prescribing medications for opioid use disorder Three of the nation's largest insurers—Aetna, Cigna, and Anthem Blue Cross—have in recent months announced that they will no longer require physicians to seek prior approval before prescribing medication to treat opioid use disorder. These policy changes come as more than 2.2 million people meet the diagnostic criteria for an opioid use disorder. Treatment of opioid use disorder with opioid maintenance therapies has been shown to be cost-effective, safe and successful when used appropriately. Increasing access to treatment is crucial to addressing opioid misuse and overdose, and the California Medical Association ... March 2, 2017 General Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Opioids, Preauthorization 0 0 Comment Read More »
