Nearly 750 more practitioners around the country are now equipped to help patients fight opioid addiction, thanks to two federal agencies.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration have approved licenses for 560 nurse practitioners and 184 physician assistants to prescribe buprenorphine, an anti-addiction medication for opioids that helps repress cravings and withdrawal symptoms, according to a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts' Stateline.
A federal license is required to prescribe the drug, according to the report. However, more NPs and PAs could earn their license if state scope of practice laws change. Currently 28 states do not allow NPs or PAs to prescribe the drug without physician supervision, even though as many as half of all counties do not have a physician, according to the report.
Additionally, three states prohibit NPs from prescribing the drug with or without physician supervision and another state, Kentucky, specifically prohibits PAs from doing so, according to the report.
Read the full article here.
More articles on opioids:
Study: Nonopioids are just as effective as opioids for treating arthritis, back pain
Gov. Cuomo signs law investing $200M+ to fight New York opioid epidemic
FDA issues new warnings for children taking painkillers