CVS Pharmacy limiting opioid prescriptions to 7 days supply

It’s estimated that 80 percent of heroin users started with prescription opioids.

In an effort to combat that rising opioid epidemic, CVS Pharmacy has announced it is “limiting to seven days the supply of opioids dispensed for certain acute prescriptions for patients who are new to therapy; limiting the daily dosage of opioids dispensed based on the strength of the opioid; and requiring the use of immediate-release formulations of opioids before extended-release opioids are dispensed.”

The changes will roll out Feb. 1, 2018, for all commercial, health plan, employer and Medicaid clients the company said in a news release.

“Without a doubt, addressing our nation’s opioid crisis calls for a multipronged effort involving many health care stakeholders, from doctors, dentists and pharmaceutical companies to pharmacies and government officials.” CVS Health President and CEO Larry J. Merlo said. “With this expansion of our industry-leading initiatives, we are further strengthening our commitment to help providers and patients balance the need for these powerful medications with the risk of abuse and misuse.”

The company also announced its pharmacies will “strengthen counseling for patients filling an opioid prescription with a robust safe opioid use education program highlighting opioid safety and the dangers of addiction.”

CVS is also adding 750 additional medication disposal units, starting in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington D.C.

Additionally, the company will educate parents about opioid abuse prevention.

More than 30,000 people died of accidental drug overdoses in the United States in 2015 according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Ohio, there were 3,050 drug overdose deaths in 2015, at that time a record.

It was broken last year when 4,050 died from accidental overdoses. Ohio has more overdose deaths than any other state. Increasingly the deaths are being fueled by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin.