CVS to Limit Opioid Prescriptions to 7-Day Supply

When filling prescription for opioid pills, pharmacists will also be required to talk to patients about the risks of addiction, secure storage of medications in the home and proper disposal, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

The move by CVS to limit prescription opioids like OxyContin or Vicodin to a seven-day supply is a significant restriction for patients — the average pill supply given by doctors in the U.S. increased from 13 days in 2006 to 18 days 2015, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  More than 15,000 people died from prescription opioid overdose in 2015, according to the CDC.
With counseling on secure storage and disposal of opioid pills, the CVS pharmacists may be able to limit easy access to the pills. Five percent of adults surveyed told the National Institute on Drug Abuse researchers they took opioids without their doctor’s permission, often getting the prescription meds for free from friends or relatives. The CVS drug disposal collection program will expand to 1,550 units, with the addition of kiosks at 750 retail pharmacies nationwide, adding to 800 units previously donated to law enforcement.

In addition, CVS has pledged to increase its commitment to community health centers by bolstering contributions to medication-assisted treatment programs by $2 million.

The CVS announcement comes on the heels of a special publication released by the National Academy of Medicine, "First, Do No Harm," which calls on the leadership and action of doctors to help reverse the “course of preventable harm and suffering from prescription opioids.”

“Simply restricting access to opioids without offering alternative pain treatments may have limited efficacy in reducing prescription opioid abuse,” said representatives from NIDA. But the move is a major part of the multi-dimensional solution needed to conquer opioid abuse and a long awaited step in the right
Read the entire article from NBCNews.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cvs-limit-opioid-prescriptions-7-day-supply-n803486