U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), governors and medical groups on Friday to support a law that she spearheaded last year to curb opioid addiction by allowing medical providers to write partial prescriptions for certain painkillers.
The Reducing Unused Medications Act was enacted last year as part of the larger Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). It allows medical providers to write partial prescriptions for OxyContin, Vicodin and certain other Schedule II opioid medications to reduce the volume of unused drugs in circulation.
Capito coauthored letters with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, state governors and medical membership organizations that highlight how implementing and embracing partial fill laws can help reduce opioid addiction.
“Encouraging prescribers to embrace the partial fill option for their patients can help to reduce the number of opioids left over in homes across the country,” the senators’ letter to Gottlieb states.
Capito also highlighted how state-level implementation of partial-fill options can help reduce the number of prescription drugs in circulation in a separate letter to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
“Our idea was simple: empower patients to have a conversation with their doctors and pharmacists about how many prescription drugs they felt comfortable having in their home,” the letter states. “For example, the new statute means that a doctor can prescribe a patient two weeks’ worth of opioid medication in case a patient’s pain lasts that long, but the patient or doctor can also request that their pharmacist only fill enough of the prescription for a three-day supply — and then, return to the pharmacy if pain persists to pick up the remainder of their prescription.”
In letters to additional state governors, Capito and Warren called on public health officials to forge partnerships and to pursue creative approaches “to implement policies that prevent addiction and save lives.”
In letters to 11 nationwide medical member organizations, meanwhile, the senators emphasized that the partial fill law’s goal is to encourage conversations between medical providers and patients.
“We hope that you encourage your members to embrace partial filling options, which encourages honest conversations between patients and their doctors about their pain, as well as how much medication they feel comfortable having in the home,” the letter states.