Efforts to Control the Opioid Epidemic

(Spring 2018) States around the country are working to bring the opioid crisis to heel through legislation. Here are just a few examples:

• Soon the Ohio Board of Pharmacy will require the state’s wholesale drug distributors to flag suspicious orders. The effort is meant to create stop gaps in the supply chains of the 500 distributors that currently purchase from manufacturers and resell to the state’s 20,000 pharmacies, clinics and hospitals. Distributors must report orders that are for more than 5,000-unit doses, have unusual amounts of controlled substances, are from providers who do not take insurance or have suspect payment methods. The rule requires distributors to pause suspicious orders and requires a sign-off by at least two employees to proceed with paused orders. Penalties include loss of state licenses.

• Starting January 1, all drugs dispensed by Nebraska pharmacies and pharmacists are required to be reported daily to the state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). Previously, only controlled substances were required to be reported. Nebraska is the first state to require all drugs to be logged. However, other states are poised to take similar measures as the national PDMP initiative began on January 1, 2018.

• Michigan has incorporated laws aimed at reducing opioid addiction. The efforts start with the doctor-patient relationship. Prescribers now must review the state’s prescription database before prescribing painkillers and other dangerous medications. The laws also require a greater degree of patient education regarding painkiller dangers and side effects, especially for those who have been treated for an overdose. Additionally, providers will receive more education, as the new law requires the development of curricula focused on addiction. Lastly, the laws put limits on the number of doses that can be prescribed for short-term pain situations.

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