Report: OUD treatments effective, but barriers prevent wider use
The three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid use disorder — methadone, buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone — are effective and save lives, but most people who could benefit from these treatments do not receive them, according to a released today by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Barriers to their use include stigma; inadequate professional education and training for treatment providers and criminal justice personnel; distinct treatment systems and financing mechanisms for OUD; regulations such as waiver policies, patient limits, and restrictions on treatment settings; privacy regulations such as 42 CFR Part 2; and regulations that govern public and private insurance coverage, the study committee said. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsored the study.