PHARMACIST STEVE

The link below is to the nearly 600 page agreement between the three major drug wholesalers and 50 state AG’s, Native American Reservations and others. There is supposedly a similar settlement for 13+ billion with Walgreen, CVS, Walmart. SURPRISE !! the settlement money is suppose to be used in a “don’t do drugs” patterned after the Tobacco Lawsuit.  Most of the state annuity that the Tobacco lawsuit created will mostly DRY UP in another couple of years, and many of the state involved in that lawsuit, promised a “do not smoke education campaign” with the money they got from the lawsuit, but many states have just put that money into the STATE’S GENERAL FUND.

What was agreed  upon in this agreement could be the basis for chronic pain pts to approached law firms that deal with civil rights violations under ADA, especially class actions.  This could be the “SMOKING GUN ” for the chronic pain community to seek some level the playing field

The 3 major drug wholesalers agreed to funding educating prescriber to be consistent with the 2016 CDC opioid dosing guidelines, even hospital pts. Which heavily references the MME SYSTEM which has been proven to have no science nor double blind clinical studies to support its conclusions.

This article makes the point that the DEA/DOJ are targeting the limiting of Adderalls and Xanax being sold to pharmacies by these drug wholesalers  Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits   

It is claimed that there is 25-35  million intractable chronic pain pts… each requiring pain management 24/7, these are high acuity pts – the sickest of the sick.  What would happen if all these pts were limited to the fabricated 90 MME/day or  have their necessary pain medication reduced and/or totally stopped ?

If you are reading this – SHARE IT… feel free to contact a civil rights law firm… this is not a single state issue, this is happening in most/all states.  Use this to do a web search “law firms class action civil rights violation ” It typically only needs 1 or 2 lead plaintiff to get a class action started… if those in the community do NOTHING… that is where your controlled meds being prescribed will get down to – NOTHING !!

Click to access Final-Distributor-Settlement-Agreement-3.25.22-Final.pdf

PREVENTION PROGRAMS

1. Funding for media campaigns to prevent opioid use (similar to the FDA’s “Real Cost” campaign to prevent youth from misusing tobacco);
2. Funding for evidence-based prevention programs in schools;
3. Funding for medical provider education and outreach regarding best prescribing practices for opioids consistent with the 2016 CDC guidelines, including providers at hospitals (academic detailing);
4. Funding for community drug disposal programs; and
5. Funding and training for first responders to participate in pre-arrest diversion programs, post-overdose response teams, or similar strategies that connect at-risk individuals to behavioral health services and supports.

F. PREVENT OVER-PRESCRIBING AND ENSURE APPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING AND DISPENSING OF OPIOIDS

Support efforts to prevent over-prescribing and ensure appropriate prescribing and dispensing of opioids through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs or strategies that may include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Funding medical provider education and outreach regarding best prescribing practices for opioids consistent with the Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including providers at hospitals (academic detailing).
2. Training for health care providers regarding safe and responsible opioid prescribing, dosing, and tapering patients off opioids.
3. Continuing Medical Education (CME) on appropriate prescribing of opioids.
4. Providing Support for non-opioid pain treatment alternatives, including training providers to offer or refer to multi-modal, evidence-informed treatment of pain.
5. Supporting enhancements or improvements to Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (“PDMPs”), including, but not limited to, improvements that:  FINAL AGREEMENT 3.25.22 E-11
1. Increase the number of prescribers using PDMPs;
2. Improve point-of-care decision-making by increasing the quantity, quality, or format of data available to prescribers using PDMPs, by improving the interface that prescribers use to access PDMP data, or both; or 
3. Enable states to use PDMP data in support of surveillance or intervention strategies, including MAT referrals and follow-up for individuals identified within PDMP data as likely to experience OUD in a manner that complies with all relevant privacy and security laws and rules.
6. Ensuring PDMPs incorporate available overdose/naloxone deployment data, including the United States Department of Transportation’s Emergency Medical Technician overdose database in a manner that complies with all relevant privacy and security laws and rules.
7. Increasing electronic prescribing to prevent diversion or forgery.
8. Educating dispensers on appropriate opioid dispensing.

G. PREVENT MISUSE OF OPIOIDS

Support efforts to discourage or prevent misuse of opioids through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs or strategies that may include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Funding media campaigns to prevent opioid misuse.
2. Corrective advertising or affirmative public education campaigns based on evidence.
3. Public education relating to drug disposal.
4. Drug take-back disposal or destruction programs.
5. Funding community anti-drug coalitions that engage in drug prevention efforts.
6. Supporting community coalitions in implementing evidence-informed prevention, such as reduced social access and physical access, stigma reduction—including staffing, educational campaigns, support for people in treatment or recovery, or training of coalitions in evidence-informed implementation, including the Strategic Prevention Framework developed by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”).
7. Engaging non-profits and faith-based communities as systems to support prevention.

FINAL AGREEMENT 3.25.22E-12

8. Funding evidence-based prevention programs in schools or evidence-informed  school and community education programs and campaigns for students, families, school employees, school athletic programs, parent-teacher and student associations, and others.
9. School-based or youth-focused programs or strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing drug misuse and seem likely to be effective in preventing the uptake and use of opioids.
10. Create or support community-based education or intervention services for families, youth, and adolescents at risk for OUD and any co-occurring SUD/MH conditions.
11. Support evidence-informed programs or curricula to address mental health needs of young people who may be at risk of misusing opioids or other drugs, including emotional modulation and resilience skills.
12. Support greater access to mental health services and supports for young people, including services and supports provided by school nurses, behavioral health workers or other school staff, to address mental health needs in young people that (when not properly addressed) increase the risk of opioid or another drug misuse.

Filed under: General Problems