Advocacy

Senate Passes ASHP-Supported Opioids Bill; Adopts ASHP Recommendation on Strategic National Stockpile

Published: December 22, 2022
ASHP News

Today, the United States Senate passed an end-of-year legislative package that included two ASHP advocacy priorities. The package included the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which removes a federal barrier on pharmacists prescribing buprenorphine, known as the X-waiver.

To prescribe medications for opioid use disorder, pharmacists must be legally authorized to dispense controlled substances under state law and complete at least eight hours of training for treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.

The legislative package also includes several provisions addressing pharmaceutical supply issues. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify incentives to increase domestic production of generic pharmaceutical products and to award contracts to increase the domestic production capacity of antibiotics, including their active pharmaceutical ingredient or key starting materials. The bill also includes an ASHP policy recommendation to increase the transparency of the Strategic National Stockpile by requiring HHS to issue guidance describing how the Strategic National Stockpile deploys its contents.

Advertisement

Finally, the bill includes a provision that provides the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with greater oversight over its accelerated approvals program. Specifically, the legislation requires drug sponsors to begin post-approval studies before a drug hits the market and streamlines the process for FDA to pull drugs from the market when sponsors fail to conduct studies or when studies fail to demonstrate a drug's clinical benefit.

Thank you to ASHP members who advocated for these advocacy priorities during our Policy Week in Washington, D.C., and to those who wrote to Congress in support of our advocacy.

The bill is expected to be passed in the House and signed into law.

Posted December 22, 2022

Advance Your Professional Development

View Other Products

Free Board Exam Prep Resources

The Review & Recertification Reward Program (RRRP) includes free access to exam preparation material + enrollment in a recertification plan billed monthly ($10) during your initial recertification cycle. For ASHP members only.

Learn More
Review & Recertification Reward Program (RRRP)

New Edition Available to Order

AHFS Drug Information® 2024 contains the most dependable drug information available—all in one place. It is the most comprehensive evidence-based source of drug information complete with therapeutic guidelines and off-label uses.

Order Today
AHFS 2024 Drug Information