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04/05/2016

Comment on the proposed rule to increase the buprenorphine patient limit

Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders: Increasing the Buprenorphine Patient Limit
US Department of Health and Human Services


The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule to expand access to buprenorphine, one of three medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of opioid dependence through medication-assisted treatment (MAT). The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), entitled Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders: Increasing the Buprenorphine Patient Limit, will be open for comment for 60 days starting Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Read more >

 

 Related News:

Some Experts Question Effectiveness Of President’s Proposal To Expand Use Of Opioid Abuse Treatment Medication.

Modern Healthcare (3/30, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reports some experts are skeptical about the significance of President Obama’s proposal “to double the patient load for doctors who prescribe buprenorphine.” The article explains the special requirements for physicians to prescribe the medicine, which is used to treat opioid addiction, and also quotes experts who say that many physicians are hesitant to prescribe the medication.

        New York Medical Officer Says US Should Consider Decriminalization To Address Opioid Abuse Crisis. In the “Policy Dose” blog in US News & World Report (3/30), New York State Office of Mental Health chief medical officer and psychiatrist Lloyd Sederer, MD, argues that President Obama is on the right track with his proposals to curb opioid abuse, but that the President’s plan is “only the beginning.” Dr. Sederer summarizes Obama’s remarks in Atlanta earlier this week and then suggests that the US could follow the example of Ireland, Portugal, and Switzerland and decriminalize heroin.

 

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