On July 3, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), American Academy of PAs (AAPA), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM), approved providers of DATA 2000 training, issued a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions thanking the Department of Justice (DOJ) for identifying individuals who may be committing opioid-related criminal activity and health care fraud involving patients with addiction and expressing the need to work together so such actions do not have unintended consequences that dissuade clinicians from prescribing buprenorphine and leave patients without treatment should their practitioners’ offices be closed.

The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose (CSOO) enthusiastically welcomes NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) as a new member of the coalition. NASTAD is an association that represents public health officials who administer HIV and hepatitis programs in all 50 U.S. states and around the world. NASTAD seeks to end the intersecting epidemics of HIV and viral hepatitis by strengthening domestic and global governmental public health through advocacy, capacity building, and social justice.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) applauds the House of Representatives for its action this week to pass the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6), the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety (OPPS) Act (H.R. 6082), and the IMD Care Act (H.R. 5797).

The US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Division Released Statement Clarifying the Use of Telemedicine for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) On May 15, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Drug Diversion Division issued an email alert reiterating its position on the prescribing of controlled....

This Policy Statement includes recommendations on standards related to the marketing of addiction treatment services and recruiting of patients as well as state and federal government development and dissemination of materials for consumers to detect potential fraudulent marketing and patient recruiting practices.

The briefing, titled “Transforming Addiction Treatment: A Bigger, Bolder Response to America’s Opioid Overdose Epidemic,” brought together experts working on the front lines of addiction treatment to discuss the comprehensive approach needed to stem the tide of a public health emergency that claimed 42,249 lives in 2016.

On May 16, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval Lucemyra, the first non-opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms. Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) reduces the release of norepinephrine and can be used to lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms that may occur after the discontinuation of opioid use.

On May 14, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) issued a settlement agreement which found that Charlwell House,  a skilled nursing facility, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to accept a patient for treatment because the patient was being treated with Suboxone for opioid use disorder (OUD).