FDA and Johns Hopkins to Present at CEPOP November All-Participants Meeting at 3PM Eastern

CEPOP will be hosting its November All-Participants Teleconference this afternoon at 3:00pm EST. This month’s meeting will include an update from Dr. Marta Sokolowska, Associate Director for Controlled Substances in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), on the agency’s key opioid epidemic activities and a presentation by Dr. Brendan Saloner on a recent Johns Hopkins University study about the impacts of medication-assisted treatments on polysubstance use.

CEPOP All-Participants Teleconference (November 2021)

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

Legislation Introduced to Reduce Barriers to Buprenorphine Access

Last week, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Improving Access to Care and Treatment (IMPACT) Act to reduce barriers to buprenorphine and improve the continuity of care for individuals receiving treatment for opioid use disorders. The bill would expand the window that healthcare providers are allowed to hold long-acting injectable buprenorphine in their facilities from 14 days to up to 60 days. In a press release, Senator Shaheen said, “Now more than ever, we must ensure that no stone is left unturned in our response efforts to assist those in recovery, which is precisely what our bipartisan, bicameral legislation would help us achieve. Medication-assisted treatment is part of our multi-faceted strategy to combat the substance use disorder crisis, and our legislation makes a commonsense reform to improve access so providers can deliver the treatment those struggling with addiction urgently need.” Representatives Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Victoria Spartz (IN-05), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced companion legislation in the House.

Articles & Resources

Senator Shelley Moore Capito – Capito, Shaheen Lead Bipartisan Impact Act To Reform Opioid Use Disorder Medication Holding Period For Providers

Bill Text


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.

American Council on Science and Health – When The Law Catches Up To The Science: On Opioid Litigation

FDA – FDA Health Playbook

HHS – HHS Announces Record Health Care Workforce Awards in Rural and Underserved Communities

Kentucky.gov – Gov. Beshear: Bloomberg Philanthropies Partnership Aims to Reduce Overdose Deaths in Kentucky

Pew Charitable Trusts – Mobile Medication Units Help Fill Gaps in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Rand Corporation – Assessment of State and Federal Health Policies for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Senator Angus King – Senators Collins, King Announce $2.3 Million to Help Combat Maine’s Opioid Epidemic

Senator John Kennedy – ICYMI: A simple way to battle the opioid crisis

STAT – Her husband died by suicide. She sued his pain doctors — a rare challenge over an opioid dose reduction

The New England Journal of Medicine – Using Policy Tools to Improve Population Health — Combating the U.S. Opioid Crisis

University of Washington – Wearable injector can detect and reverse opioid overdose

Wall Street Journal – Walgreens, Walmart and CVS Pharmacies Contributed to Opioid Epidemic, Ohio Jury Finds


This Week’s Calendar

In the week ahead, there are no relevant events or hearings noticed at this time. In the event that there are any changes to the schedule for this week, we will make additional information available.


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