Opioid treatment bill passes U.S. House; local doctors want easier access to medication
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make it easier for doctors to treat addiction and Dayton Congressman Mike Turner is the bill’s sponsor.
Turner was in Dayton on Tuesday and spoke to News Center 7 about the impact this plan could have in the Miami Valley.
Right now, to prescribe Buprenorphine substance abuse doctors or practitioners need a waiver from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). This bill will work to change that process.
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Dr. Natalie Lester, Chief Medical Officer at OneFifteen said, “Its never made sense to me that its actually harder for physicians to prescribe Buprenorphine to treat Opioid Use Disorder than it is for physicians to get permission to prescribe these full-strength Opioids.”
Doctors that News Center 7 talked to explained why this drug is so important for treatment.
Dr. Anna Squibb with Samaritan Behavioral Health said, “Buprenorphine has been available since 2000. It is a critical medication for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. This has really become mainstream for treatment of Substance Abuse Disorder. It’s being taught in medical schools. It is now required training for residency.”
“We know that Buprenorphine is a medication that when taken increases the chances that somebody goes into long-term recovery and it also decreases the likelihood that they’re going to die from an Opioid overdose,” Lester said.
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Doctors said the drug does not have many medical adverse effects. It is an Opioid and works in similar fashion. Squibb said unlike other Opioids it doesn’t cause Euphoria and has a limiting effect compared to others.
“When you’re exposed to Opioids for a period of time, some of that neurobiology and that circuitry in your brain changes and we have to stabilize that,” Squibb said.
OneFifteen is a treatment center in Dayton. But the one thing that was discussed about – this bill will allow access to facilities for various types of addiction treatment.
Rep. Mike Turner said, “About 40 percent of the country does not have a OneFifteen or a Dr. Lester and an ability for people to access this treatment. This steals people’s lives, Opioid addictions and other addictions,”
Right now, Turner as well as many doctors hope that this bill eventually lands on President Joe Biden’s desk, where he can sign it into law.
