Educating Physicians, Reducing Unused Opiate Rx

(Summer 2016) After two days of hearings in early May, a Food and Drug Administration advisory group supported mandatory training for physicians who write opioid prescriptions. The goal behind the decision is an attempt to curb a now-epidemic level of fatalities and addiction due to opioids. The training will additionally be geared toward alerting patients to the dangers of prescription painkillers.

Also, in an attempt to lessen the number of opioids distributed, the Reducing Unused Medications Act was introduced in Congress. This would permit pharmacists to only fill a portion of an opiate prescription if indicated by a doctor or patient. The measure is aimed at shrinking the number of unused opioids stored in homes.

See more Legal & Legislative Updates articles.