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Please note that ASAM physician members may apply for the Distinguished Fellow, American Society of Addiction Medicine (DFASAM) title until November 15, 2017. ASAM and the Board of Directors recognize these elite professionals as "Distinguished Fellows" because of their significant contributions to the field of addiction medicine and their work as outstanding, prominent, and distinguished professionals in the medical community. Authorized members may employ the DFASAM designation after their names as a mark of distinction and to provide a description of their unique position.
We encourage you to apply (If you haven’t already) and remind physician members in your chapter that the DFASAM application period is open for only 2 more weeks. Click here to access the DFASAM page.
Department of Health Services Names Paul Krupski as Director of Opioid Initiatives
New position aimed at coordinating efforts to fight the state's opioid crisis
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today Paul Krupski has been selected to serve as the new Director of Opiate Initiatives to coordinate the department’s efforts to end the state’s opioid crisis, effective today.
“Opioid overdoses and the misuse of opioids affects every corner of the state, and Paul’s experience and skills support our efforts to ensure that our response is as aggressive and effective as possible,” said DHS Secretary Linda Seemeyer. “Opioid use disorder, including heroin and prescription drugs, is destroying families, and we must do whatever we can to end the heartbreak affecting so many.”
View the entire news release.
by Ilene MacDonald |
Oct 27, 2017 9:17am
President Donald Trump on Thursday declared a war on drug addiction and opioid abuse, saying he would mobilize his entire administration to address the crisis now that he has officially determined it is a national public health emergency.
“We will defeat this opioid epidemic,” Trump said. “We will free our nation from the terrible affliction of drug abuse. And, yes, we will overcome addiction in America … We have fought and won many battles and many wars before, and we will win again.”
Although he didn’t offer specific actions the administration would take during his remarks or how they will be funded, Trump said federal agencies are working with doctors and medical professionals to implement best practices for safe opioid prescribing, and requiring that federally employed prescribers undergo special training.
The public health emergency directive allows the government to waive some restrictions, Trump said, such as a 1970s-era rule that prevents states from providing care at certain treatment facilities with more than 16 beds for those who suffer from drug addiction. But it doesn’t come with a substantial amount of funding that would have been available had Trump declared a national emergency under the Stafford Act, which would have allowed access to funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Later in the day the administration released a statement that provided some of the actions the government would take as a result of the declaration:
Trump said during his remarks that he is awaiting a final report from the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and the administration will act quickly to evaluate and implement its recommendations.
The administration later said in a statement that since Trump took office the government has allocated or spent more than $1 billion to address drug addiction and the opioid crisis. That funding includes $800 million for prevention, treatment, first responders, prescription drug monitoring programs, recovery and other care in communities, inpatient settings, and correctional systems. It also includes $254 million in funding for high-risk communities, law enforcement, and first responder coordination and work.
The Hill BY RACHEL ROUBEIN - 10/24/17 12:44 PM EDT
As America grapples with an opioid epidemic, senior citizens are often overlooked.
Yet, older adults are highly susceptible to chronic pain and the prescription painkiller addiction is hitting this population.
“We really are looking at the opioid epidemic, we know how destructive it is, but we think of its younger victims,” Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said at an event on aging and addiction, hosted by The Hill and sponsored by Surescripts. “This is more of a quiet, more silent, but equally deadly part of the opioid epidemic,” she said.
Roughly one in three beneficiaries in Medicare’s prescription drug program received a prescription for opioids in 2016. About half a million received high amounts of opioids. And nearly 90,000 are at “serious risk” of opioid misuse or overdose, according to a July report by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“What the data really revealed — the final takeaway — is that Medicare may be paying for opioids that are not medically necessary and in fact Medicare may be paying for opioids that are doing harm to seniors and perhaps even others as the drugs are diverted into the street for resale,” said Ann Maxwell, assistant inspector general for evaluations at the HHS Office of Inspector General.
At the event, Clark and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) touted their bill requiring e-prescriptions for controlled substances under Medicare.
Of potential opposition to the measure, Clark said, “the burden is really going to come to doctors, to hospitals, to upgrade their technology to be able to do the e-prescribing.” She added the legislation includes built in ways to give them time to meet this criteria.
But, she said, “this is worth it,” calling it a “critical tool going forward.” Mullin added that the bill doesn’t go into effect until 2020.
A panel of experts discussed their views on how Congress and the administration can help combat the rates of opioid addiction among older adults. These recommendations included an infusion of federal funds, regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on pharmacy and prescriber lock-in programs under Medicare, cautious prescribing of opioids and more.
Under the leadership of Governor Walker, the Department of Health Services (DHS) Division of Medicaid Services (DMS) is pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2018, we will increase reimbursement for outpatient mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
We have heard the feedback from our partners in the MH and SUD provider community regarding the barriers they face in meeting the demand for these important services. Generally, financial mechanisms alone will not resolve many of the health care challenges of our state. However, by increasing Medicaid rates and removing the administrative burden of prior authorization for outpatient mental health providers, we expect that our members will have improved access to treatment services by encouraging licensed providers to enroll with Wisconsin Medicaid. To enroll in the Medicaid program, go to the ForwardHealth Portal.
DMS will invest $7 million GPR annually to increase rates for MH and SUD. This substantial investment will make Wisconsin Medicaid a rate leader in the Great Lakes region in terms of provider reimbursement for MH and SUD treatment.
This announcement will be followed soon by a ForwardHealth Update with additional details of the rate increase and billing guidance for fee-for-service providers. DMS will provide guidance to HMOs on the rate/billing guidance changes and will adjust our HMO capitation rates (and encounter data submission process) effective January 1, 2018, to assure alignment.
I hope this investment by Governor Walker will spur you to enhance and expand mental health and substance abuse services to our residents in need. We look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration on behalf of our members.
Michael Heifetz
Medicaid Director
by Kristina Fiore, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage TodayOctober 20, 2017
Monthly naltrexone shots (Vivitrol) worked as well as daily buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) for treating opioid use disorder, according to the first head-to-head trial between the two.
In an open-label randomized controlled trial, retention in the extended-release naltrexone group was non-inferior to buprenorphine/naloxone at 12 weeks (mean time 69.3 and 63.7 days, respectively), according to Lars Tanum, MD, PhD, of the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues.
Naltrexone was also non-inferior for other primary outcomes including the number of opioid-negative urine drug tests, use of heroin, and use of other illicit opioids, the team reported online in JAMA Psychiatry.
"The main clinical implication of these findings is that extended-release naltrexone seems to be as safe and effective as buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for maintaining short-term abstinence from heroin, opioids, and other illicit substances in opioid-dependent individuals newly detoxified and/or discharged from inpatient treatment or prison."
The study wasn't funded outright by Alkermes, the maker of Vivitrol, but the company was "allowed to comment on the manuscript before submission for publication," according to the study's disclosure section.
Earlier this year, investigative reports found that Alkermes was using lobbyists to get Vivitrol written into state laws about opioid abuse treatment, and has persuaded drug courts to mandate Vivitrol over other drugs.
For the study, the researchers enrolled 159 patients with opioid dependence (mean age 36; 28% were women) who went through detoxification and were then randomized to buprenorphine/naloxone 4 to 24 mg/day (with a target dose of 16 mg/day) or to monthly naltrexone injections (380 mg).
After 12 weeks, 105 (66%) participants had attended all scheduled follow-up appointments and had taken their medication as prescribed. A total of 53 participants dropped out: 24 in the naltrexone group and 29 in the buprenorphine/naloxone group.
In addition to non-inferiority for retention, naltrexone was also non-inferior for:
Extended-release naltrexone was superior for lower use of heroin and other illicit opioids, but not superior for the proportion of negative urine drug tests.
In terms of secondary outcomes, there were no significant differences between groups for the use of amphetamines, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, or injecting drugs, but those on naltrexone had a significant reduction in benzodiazepine use, while the buprenorphine/naloxone group remained stable.
There were more adverse events among those on naltrexone (69% versus 34.7%, P<0.001), but only 10 participants discontinued treatment owing to adverse events: four in the naltrexone group and six in the buprenorphine/naloxone group. A number of events were related to withdrawal symptoms and were more frequent among the naltrexone group (28 patients, 39.4%, versus 10 patients, 13.9%).
There were no deaths, but more naltrexone patients reported having serious adverse events including pneumonia and withdrawal (8.5% versus 4.2%).
Tanum and colleagues noted that naltrexone induction required full detoxification to a greater extent than buprenorphine/naloxone treatment. In fact, the detoxification protocol was changed a year into the trial, which reduced the number of new adverse events related to naltrexone induction.
The researchers noted that the study was limited by a lack of blinding, as the use of placebo among newly detoxified opioid users was considered unethical. Also, participants likely recognized their treatment easily, given their long experience with opioid use.
Still, the researchers concluded that extended-release naltrexone was as effective and safe as buprenorphine/naloxone and should be considered a treatment for opioid-dependent patients.
Drugmaker Alkermes was allowed to comment on the manuscript before submission for publication.
The authors disclosed no financial relationships with industry.
LAST UPDATED 10.20.2017
FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Drug overdose death rates in rural areas of the United States are now higher than in cities, a trend that worries federal health officials.
In 2015, drug overdose was the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States -- with 52,000 fatalities attributed to opioid painkillers, heroin and other potentially deadly drugs, researchers said in a new report.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald said rising overdose death rates outside metropolitan areas warrant attention.
"We need to understand why this is happening so that our work with states and communities can help stop illicit drug use and overdose deaths in America," Fitzgerald said in an agency news release.
In 1999, drug overdose death rates were 6.4 per 100,000 in urban regions and 4 per 100,000 in rural areas. But the gap gradually disappeared. By 2015, the rate was 17 per 100,000 in rural areas and 16.2 per 100,000 in cities, the study findings showed.
The researchers assessed illicit drug use and disorders from 2003 to 2014, and drug overdose deaths from 1999 to 2015 in urban and rural areas. The investigators were led by Karin Mack of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
Although the percentage of people reporting illegal drug use is actually lower in rural areas, the effects appear to be greater, the researchers noted.
Overall, "most overdose deaths occurred in homes, where rescue efforts may fall to relatives who have limited knowledge of or access to life-saving treatment and overdose follow-up care," the authors explained in the news release.
Looking at where drug users live and where they die from overdoses might lead to better preventive measures, the team pointed out.
Some other findings in the report:
"On the one hand, the decline in illicit drug use by youth and the lower prevalence of illicit drug use disorders are encouraging signs," Mack's team wrote. "On the other hand, the increasing rate of drug overdose deaths in rural areas, which surpassed rates in urban areas, is cause for concern."
Since rural residents are less likely to have access to substance abuse treatment services, the findings point to a need to beef up such services outside cities, the authors of the report said.
Moreover, doctors should be updated on guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. And communities with high opioid-use disorder rates might benefit from greater access to addiction/overdose treatments such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone, Mack and colleagues concluded.
The findings were published in the Oct. 20 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
More information
The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about drug addiction.
SOURCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Oct. 19, 2017; Oct. 20, 2017, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Shionogi and Purdue announced the launch of Symproic (naldemedine) tablets for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with chronic non-cancer pain, including patients with chronic pain related to prior cancer or its treatment who do not require frequent (eg, weekly) opioid dosage escalation.
Symproic, initially approved as a CII controlled substance in March 2017, was officially descheduled by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in September 2017. It is an oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) that acts in tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract, thereby decreasing the constipating effects of opioids. Its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is reduced due to a side chain that has been added, which increases the molecular weight and polar surface area.
In clinical trials (COMPOSE 1, COMPOSE 2), the proportion of responders (patient who had at least 3 spontaneous bowl movements [SBM] per week and a change from baseline of at least 1 SBM/week for at least 9 out of the 12 weeks including 3 out of the last 4 weeks) was found to be significantly higher with Symproic versus placebo: COMPOSE 1 (48% vs. 35%); COMPOSE 2 (53% vs. 34%).
Symproic is available as 0.2mg strength tablets in 90-count bottles.
For more information call (800) 849-9707 or visit Symproic.com.
Scientific Poster and Presentation Abstracts Submission Deadline: October 2, 2017
Don't miss your opportunity to present your abstract at the nation's leading conference on addiction medicine.
Review the criteria, develop an abstract, and submit today! It's easier than you think!
ASAM members and non-members are invited to submit abstracts and presentation proposals for poster presentations, focus sessions, and workshops.
Online Submission Deadline: October 2, 2017
Please visit the ASAM Call for Abstracts page for additional information on presenter requirements, submission categories, possible topics, and abstract awards.
Why Submit?
Presenting an abstract at The ASAM Annual Conference is a very prestigious way to contribute to the field and add to your CV. The abstract process is very competitive and accepted abstracts have opportunities for awards.
Submissions are FREE and presenters of accepted abstracts receive discounted registration to the conference.
Strive for the opportunity to present alongside the best in the field!
Abstract Awards
Primary authors of high scoring and exceptional posters abstracts could receive one of four awards.
· Best Overall
· Young Investigator
· Resident (NEW!)
· Fellow-in-Training (NEW!)
Awards will made on the basis of new ideas or findings of importance to the field of addiction medicine, their methodology and clarity of presentation, as judged by the Committee.
About the American Society of Addiction Medicine
ASAM is a professional society representing over 5,000 physicians and associated professionals dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment; educating physicians, other medical professionals, and the public; supporting research and prevention; and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. Visit www.ASAM.org
Attorney General Brad Schimel has joined the chief legal officers for 36 other states and territories to ask that insurers revise policies to reduce opioid prescribing.
Schimel and the other attorneys general wrote Marilyn Tavenner, the CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, requesting that her members review payment and coverage policies to prioritize non-opioid pain management.
"We have witnessed firsthand the devastation that the opioid epidemic has wrought on our states in terms of lives lost and the costs it has imposed on our healthcare system and the broader economy," Schimel and others wrote.
They added that they'll soon be working with state insurance commissioners and others "to initiate a dialogue" with insurers to identify practices that can reduce opioid prescription and those that don't.
"The status quo, in which there may be financial incentives to prescribe opioids for pain which they are ill-suited to treat, is unacceptable," the attorneys general wrote. "We ask that you quickly initiate additional efforts so that you can play an important role in stopping further deaths."
Cathryn Donaldson, spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said they share the attorneys general's commitment to addressing the opioid epidemic. Health plans cover approaches to pain management that include more cautious opioid prescribing, careful patient monitoring and other treatments, she said.
Many health plans have already instituted programs that are helping to "dramatically reduce how much - and how often - opioids are prescribed," she said.
"By working together, doctors, hospitals, health plans and policy leaders can provide people with better pathways to healing - without putting their lives in danger because of opioids," she said.
Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine563 Carter Court, Suite B,Kimberly, WI 54136
