Efforts to Expand Access to Methadone Must be Practical and Reasonable: Op-Ed by RCPA Director of SUD Treatment Services Jason Snyder
Methadone
SAMHSA Revises OTP Take-Home Medication Flexibilities Guidance, DDAP Concurs
DDAP Selects New Team to Review Deaths Related to Medications Treating OUD
Act 126 of 2020 amended the original 2012 Methadone Death and Incident Review (MDAIR) Act, which established the creation of a team to review methadone-related deaths or incidents, to go beyond methadone and include a review of death and incidents related to any Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication to treat opioid use disorder as a primary, secondary, or contributing factor to a death or incident.
As a result of the new law, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs selected a new MDAIR team to review medication-related deaths, communicate concerns, and develop best practices to prevent future medication-related deaths and incidents.
A list of the new team members can be found here.
SAMHSA Extends Methadone Take-Home Flexibility
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is extending the methadone take-home flexibilities for one year, effective upon the eventual expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). This exemption is a continuation of the take-home medication flexibilities that SAMHSA put in place in March 2020 and is in keeping with the newly announced Health and Human Services (HHS) Overdose Prevention Strategy. SAMHSA is also considering mechanisms to make this flexibility permanent. Visit here for more information.