ONDCP Releases President Obama's 2010 National Drug Control Policy, APhA Referenced

The new 2010 National Drug Control Policy may affect all healthcare professionals—in other words, increase our work loads. Pharmacies may be required to increase and/or add to their record keeping. Pharmacists may be held legally and criminally responsible for additional issues. Non-licensed pharmacy personnel may be held to a higher standard; which as we all know is another way of saying increased salaries. Other healthcare providers and personnel may also be similarly affected.

We recommend that all healthcare professionals monitor developments in the new drug policy closely. Changes in all systems and procedures may be necessary and budgets may be adversely affected.

Source: APhA Legislative and Regulatory Update - May 19, 2010

On May 11, President Obama and Director R. Gil Kerlikowske of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced the release of the Obama Administration's first National Drug Control Strategy. The goal of the 2010 Strategy is to use a comprehensive approach to reduce drug use and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment, recovery, enforcement, and international cooperation. The Strategy was developed with input from law enforcement, health care professionals and associations, drug treatment providers and corrections professionals, individuals in recovery, parents and support groups.

The Strategy focuses on the following key objectives:

• Strengthen efforts to prevent drug use in communities;
• Seek early intervention opportunities in health care;
• Integrate treatment for substance disorders into health care and expand support for recovery;
• Break the cycle of drug use, crime, delinquency, and incarceration;
• Disrupt domestic drug trafficking and production;
• Strengthen international partnerships; and
• Improve information for analysis, assessment, and local management.

APhA provided comments to ONDCP in September 2009 and is pleased that ONCDP referenced APhA and pharmacy in the report. Specifically, the following action steps are of interest of pharmacy:

• Educate physicians about opiate painkiller prescribing (page 30);
• Expand prescription drug monitoring programs and promote links among state systems and to electronic health records (APhA is referenced as a stakeholder to include in this process, page 31);
• Increase prescription return/take-back and disposal programs (community pharmacies are referenced, page 32);
• Assist states to address "doctor shopping" and "pill mills" (page 32);
• Drive illegal Internet pharmacies out of business (page 32);
• Crack down on rogue pain clinics that do not follow appropriate prescription practices (page 33); and
• Inform public health systems on implementation of needle exchange programs (page 40).

For additional information, read press statements, highlights, and the complete report on the 2010 Strategy Web site.

Craig S. Stern, PharmD, MBA
President
Pro Pharma Pharmaceutical Consultants, Inc.