FDA to Discuss SUPPORT Act during CEPOP September 27 Session

As part of its September 27 All-Participants session, CEPOP will host Marta Sokolowska, Ph.D., Associate Director for Controlled Substances in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). Dr. Sokolowska’s office is responsible for certain agency efforts under the 2018 Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act or the SUPPORT Act. CEPOP has been very engaged in both the development of this legislation and its ongoing implementation. Please plan to join us for the September 27 CEPOP session.

CEPOP All-Participants Teleconference (September 2021)

  • To join WebEx, please CLICK HERE
  • Or, to join via conference call:
    • Conference Line: (855) 244-8681
    • Participant Code: 299 655 082

SAMHSA to Provide $123M in SUD Treatment and Recovery Support Grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced that it will award over $123 million through 6 grant programs to support culturally appropriate and evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery activities. The six programs – Medication Assisted Treatment for Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction (MAT-PDOA), Tribal Opioid Response Grants (TOR), Screening, Brief, Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs (SPF Rx), First Responder-Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Grants (FR-CARA), and Providers Clinical Support System – Universities (PCSS-Universities) – will support communities and healthcare providers in all fifty states, territories, and tribal entities by funding opioid prevention efforts, expanded medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs, enhanced SUD screening, trainings in MAT for providers, and trainings in overdose reversal for first responders. In a press release, Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use in the Department of Health and Human Services and Administrator of SAMHSA, said, “This funding will strengthen the full continuum of care for those battling addiction, and enhance health care providers’ depth of knowledge and best practices. We remain committed to helping the Nation find ways to promote responsible prescribing practices, interrupt cycles of addiction, and make it easier for our loved ones to access the treatment and recovery supports they need. The COVID-19 pandemic has only added to the urgency of our mission.” Detailed descriptions of the grant programs can be found here.

Articles & Resources

HHS – SAMHSA Awards $123 Million in Grants for Multifront Approach to Combat the Nation’s Overdose Epidemic


Opioid Co-Prescribing Legislation Introduced

Last week, Representatives French Hill (R-AR-02) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) introduced the Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act. This bill would authorize a grant program for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, tribes, and territories to develop research-based response plans that include opioid awareness, prevention, and treatment activities, implement co-prescribing programs, and require continuing education on opioid prescribing for healthcare providers that prescribe. The grant program would be co-administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As part of the grant program requirements, grantees must use no more than 80% of the award to develop response plans, and at least 20% of the award must be spent on co-prescribing programs. In a press release, Rep. Hill said, “We lost 90,000 Americans to drug overdoses – that is a crisis. Co-prescribing can save lives in that when you’re prescribed an opioid, you’re also prescribed an opioid reversal drug. I have seen first-hand how successful co-prescribing has been in Arkansas and I wanted to take that to the national level which is why I’ve introduced this bipartisan legislation to save lives alongside my friend Rep. Debbie Dingell.”

Articles & Resources

Bill Text

Congressman French Hill – Release: Reps. Hill & Dingell Introduce Bipartisan Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act


What We Read Last Week

Several articles were published last week pertaining to the opioid epidemic, covering a variety of different components of the issue. Links to relevant articles are provided below.

Articles & Resources

American Psychiatric Association – September Issues of American Psychiatric Association Journals Cover Improving Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, Mental Health Perspective on Police Reform

Bloomberg Government – Appearances Are Everything in the Purdue Pharma Case: Analysis

Bloomberg Government – U.S. Trustee Moves to Appeal Purdue Pharma Settlement Approval

Congressman Charlie Crist – Crist Announces Over $1 Million for Pinellas Opioid Recovery

Harvard – Using opioid settlement money to support communities disproportionately impacted by addiction

JAMA Network Open – Polysubstance Use Among Patients Treated With Buprenorphine From a National Urine Drug Test Database

Law360 – ‘Red Flag’ Expert’s Opinion Limited In Opioid MDL

NPR – Black Opioid Deaths Increase Faster Than Whites, Spurring Calls For Treatment Equity

NYS Attorney General – Attorney General James Secures $50 Million for Opioid Abatement from Drug Manufacturer Endo Health Solutions

Senator Dick Durban – Durbin Questions Office Of National Drug Control Policy Nominee Dr. Rahul Gupta In Judiciary Committee Hearing

Senator Sherrod Brown – Brown Announces More Than $3.5 Million to Support Communities, Health Care Providers Combatting Addiction Crisis

Senator Tim Kaine – Warner & Kaine Announce More Than $1.7 Million for Substance Use Disorder Programs & Mental Health Resources

STAT – Start now to prevent the next Purdue Pharma debacle

The Intelligencer – Dr. Rahul Gupta Appears Before U.S. Senate For Nomination

The Pew Charitable Trusts – Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Philadelphia

The Washington Post – Opinion: Set an example on opioids

The Washington Times – Biden administration ‘slow’ in addressing opioid crisis, two GOP lawmakers say

U.S. Department of Justice – Mentoring Youth Impacted by the Opioid Crisis

Veteran’s Affairs – Let’s talk about substance use


This Week’s Calendar

  • House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
    To include Legislative Hearing on Discussion Draft, To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on substance use and alcohol use disorder recovery for homeless veterans.
    Tuesday, September 21st; 9:30am; Hearing Notice
  • Senate Committee on Finance
    Hearings to examine the nominations of Christi A. Grimm, of Colorado, to be Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services and Neil Harvey MacBride, of Virginia, to be General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury.
    Tuesday, September 22nd; 10:00am; Hearing Notice

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