The Biden administration is expanding Methadone Access as Opioid-related deaths rise to over 112,000 per year, a proven medication that reduces relapses and fatal overdoses by nearly 60%. One in five Methadone Access Opioid addicts, despite its efficacy. The strict regulations surrounding methadone limit its availability.
Biden administration is expanding Methadone Access as Opioid-related deaths rise to over 112,000 per year (Photo from Rand Corporation)
Biden’s Bold Move: Overhauling Methadone Access Rules After Two Decades
For the first time in 20 years, the Biden administration is updating Methadone Access as Opioid regulations. We want to save lives and improve patient access. HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm emphasizes simplifying treatment access to achieve this goal. Methadone is limited to 2,000 federally approved opioid treatment programs (OTPs) under the new rules.
However, the updated regulations make significant changes. Patients at these clinics can now receive more methadone at home. Telehealth consultations allow for more frequent care. OTP nurse practitioners and physician assistants can order medication. The new rules eliminate the year-long requirement for Methadone Access as Opioid addiction. Within six months, these changes will occur.
These changes may save fentanyl and opioid addicts, according to White House drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta. Addiction policy experts praise the reforms, but some say they’re not enough. The head of the American Society of Addiction Medicine suggests making it easier for qualified doctors outside OTPs to dispense opioids, including methadone, through local pharmacies.
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AMA Applauds Expanded Access to Opioid Treatments
Sen. Edward Markey supports the administration’s reforms but criticizes the regulations that limit methadone distribution to opioid treatment programs. He thinks investors want to control and profit from these programs, not access and health.
The new rules expand access to buprenorphine, another effective opioid treatment, which the American Medical Association supports. These medications have been liberalized as part of the Biden administration’s two-year strategy to combat the nation’s record overdose deaths.
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