Mandating Coverage Of Abuse-Deterrent Opioids Would Be A Costly Distraction From More Effective Solutions

The devastating societal effects of the national opioid crisis are as far reaching as they are complex and require multimodal and highly coordinated interventions involving policy makers, public health, law enforcement, the medical community, payers, and community stakeholders. In the face of this crisis, policy makers and health care providers have responded vigorously with numerous recommendations and proposed reforms to reduce the risk of harm. While we applaud the recognition of the problem and the effort to solve it, it is imperative that recommendations, and particularly mandates, are evidence-based and are not so costly that they jeopardize alternative, proven strategies. Abuse-Deterrent Opioids One approach that is gaining energy both at state and national levels would be to require payers to cover abuse-deterrent opioids. Abuse-deterrent formulations are developed with the goal of meaningfully deterring certain types of abuse or making abuse more difficult or less rewarding. The science of abuse deterrence is relatively new, and both the formulation technologies and the analytical, clinical, and statistical methods for evaluating those technologies are rapidly evolving. From a clinical perspective, newer abuse-deterrent products are not novel chemical entities. Rather, they are existing opioids that have proven efficacy with patented abuse-deterrent properties added to them. Abuse-deterrent formulations target the known or expected routes of abuse, such as crushing t...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Drugs and Medical Innovation Public Health abuse-deterrent opioids Department of Veterans Affairs Food and Drug Administration opioid epidemic Substance Use Disorders University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Source Type: blogs