Prescribing-Reduction Efforts Not Universal

(Winter 2017) In 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised physicians to back away from managing their patients’ chronic pain with opioids. The CDC also recommended that doctors issue the lowest dosage of an opioid for the shortest time necessary when writing prescriptions for acute pain. Additionally, the organization advocated for a maximum of three days’ prescription of high-powered drugs in most acute-pain situations.

Reinforcing the CDC’s guidelines, 17 states have enacted legislation limiting the prescription of opioids. While some have capped the strength of dosages, other states have restricted the amount of these painkillers to seven days or less.

To further combat misuse, as of January 1, 2018, the health insurance company Cigna will pull OxyContin® from its list of covered drugs. The organization will instead replace it with a comparable product called Xtampza ER, which, unlike OxyContin®, is less prone to abuse because it cannot be crushed or cut to accelerate its effect.

Counter to all these efforts, some insurance companies are making it more costly and difficult to get pain medications that reduce the chance of addiction. For example, an analysis of Medicare prescription drug plans covering over 35 million individuals revealed that nearly all of these plans cover common opioids, with only a small percentage requiring pre-approval. However, when it comes to non-addictive alternatives, these medications are more expensive than generic opioids and require prior approval.

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