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Updates to Safe Prescribing Procedures for Opioid Withdrawal Drugs

We are making updates to our Safe Prescribing Procedures regarding the prescribing of opioid withdrawal drugs, Suboxone^® and Subutex^® (buprenorphine). Effective August 1, 2010, these drugs will have prior authorization and quantity limit requirements. For further details about these changes, see the article in the July edition of Partners in Health Update^SM.

Prescribing opioid withdrawal drugs in a practice setting

As a result of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000), the clinical context of medication-assisted opioid addiction treatment was expanded by allowing qualified physicians to dispense or prescribe specifically approved Schedule III, IV, and V narcotic medications for the treatment of opioid addiction in treatment settings other than the traditional Opioid Treatment Program (i.e., methadone clinic).

As a reminder, physicians must have the DATA 2000 waiver in order to prescribe Suboxone^® and Subutex^® (buprenorphine) for opioid addiction in a practice setting (e.g., office, hospital). For more information about DATA 2000, go to www.buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/waiver_qualifications.html.