Richmond, VA, April 29, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published new guidelines for health care professionals prescribing and administering buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, intended to expand patient access to care.
Effective April 28, 2021, these new guidelines allow for eligible healthcare providers to treat up to 30 patients with buprenorphine without having to complete certain federal training related certifications that are part of the process for obtaining a waiver to treat patients with buprenorphine and to forego the certification to counseling and other ancillary services (i.e., psychosocial services).
While the guidance does not remove the exemption waiver, it aims to make obtaining an exemption waiver less burdensome for prescribers treating 30 or fewer patients thus potentially expanding access to OUD treatment. Previously, all waivered healthcare providers were required to meet certain training requirements to treat with buprenorphine and to certify the availability of counseling and other ancillary services (i.e., psychosocial services, regardless of the number of patients, which may have deterred HCPs from providing this care to patients in need.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the opioid crisis in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 64,000 people died from opioid overdose in the 12-month period ending in September 2020.
These deaths disproportionately affect working Americans with families, with the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths occurring in individuals between the ages of 25 and 54. Those who succumb to overdose leave spouses without partners, children without parents, and parents without children.
“The opioid epidemic within the pandemic continues to ravage communities across the country making this guideline impacting decision critical in the ongoing effort to expand treatment access for patients suffering from substance use disorders,” said Murali Gopal, M.D., FAPA, Chief Medical Officer, Indivior. “Indivior looks forward to working with the Administration, Congress and other stakeholders to continue efforts to reduce barriers to all evidence-based treatment options at this time of unprecedented urgency.”
Indivior is a global pharmaceutical company working to help change patients’ lives by developing medicines to treat addiction and serious mental illnesses. Our vision is that all patients around the world will have access to evidence-based treatment for the chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and potentially address other chronic conditions and cooccurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 700 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more. Connect with Indivior on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/company/indivior.
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Jason.Thompson@indivior.com
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