Practice Management
Pharmacy Access to Medications to Treat a Substance Use Disorder
Tools, resources, and useful information to help you navigate pharmacy access issues
Challenges at Pharmacies to Accessing Medications for Addiction Treatment
Patients with prescriptions for medications to treat a substance use disorder (SUD) may encounter various obstacles at the pharmacy counter, especially in the case of medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).
Read more about those challenges and proposed policy solutions in ASAM's Public Policy Statement: The Role of Pharmacists in Medications for Addiction Treatment.
Reporting Medication Access Challenges at Pharmacies
If you are a prescriber with patients who have encountered difficulties fulfilling a prescription for a medication to treat a SUD, please use the link below to let ASAM know.
You will need to have the following information ready, including:
The pharmacy’s address
Name of the medication prescribed
Any patient characteristics that underpin the prescription
Whether the pharmacy declined to fill or did not have the medication in stock
How long the patient went without the prescribed medication
Whether the nonfulfillment was resolved
How can I help my patient if they encounter challenges at the pharmacy counter accessing their medications?
ASAM has developed a one-page guide to assist prescribers of medications to treat SUD.
ASAM also has a more extensive toolkit that lists recommendations for common issues experienced by patients at the pharmacy counter with prescriptions for medications to treat SUD. These recommendations are endorsed by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).
Addressing Issues at the Pharmacy with Buprenorphine Prescriptions ToolkitThe full Pharmacy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (PhARM-OUD) Guideline is available here.
ASAM Advocacy
June 23, 2025: ASAM urges the Office of National Drug Control Policy to work with DOJ to increase access to buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD by establishing a non-punitive approach for related suspicious order reporting requirements.
May 10, 2024: The American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists sent a letter to DEA, DOJ, HHS, SAMHSA, and ONDCP regarding suspicious orders reporting requirements related to buprenorphine prescribing. The letter asked DOJ/DEA to not enforce suspicious order reporting requirements for buprenorphine.
July 18, 2024: ASAM releases public policy statement on The Role of Pharmacists in Medications for Addiction Treatment.
Communications from Federal Agencies and Congress
March 11, 2024: Joint letter from the DEA, HHS, and DOJ reinforcing support for medications to treat opioid use disorder and urging distributors to reexamine any quantitative thresholds that may inhibit access to medications.
February 8, 2024: Bipartisan US Senate letter to the FDA requesting that buprenorphine be added to the agency's essential medicines list.
December 2023: SAMHSA Policy Priority Roundtable Summary Report. In August 2022, SAMHSA convened a Policy Priority Roundtable with pharmacy organizations, state health departments, nonprofit associations, academic institutions, and people with lived experiences where pharmacy organizations called for an opportunity to engage directly with federal agencies about challenges affecting buprenorphine supply.
December 2023: SAMHSA Virtual Town Hall Report. SAMHSA joined other federal partners to jointly host a town hall where participants, including pharmacy organizations involved in buprenorphine distribution, discussed challenges and solutions to increase access to this life-saving medication.
May 5, 2023: Senators Hassan, Heinrich & Colleagues Call on DEA to Remove Barriers to Lifesaving Opioid Treatment. The letter calls attention to reports of patients unable to get their buprenorphine prescriptions at pharmacies. Read the full letter here.
March 23, 2023: Congressman Paul Tonko and colleagues sent a letter to DEA recommending additional actions to remove barriers to buprenorphine, especially at US pharmacies. Read the full letter here.
January 20, 2023: Letter from DEA noting that agency regulations nor the Controlled Substance Act establish quantitative thresholds or place limits on the volume of controlled substances DEA registrants can order and dispense. The letter also noted a requirement to establish systems to identify and report suspicious orders of controlled substances, including for MOUD.