CVS is fighting against opioid abuse and will put new limitations on how those drugs are dispensed in its stores.
Opioid use and abuse on the rise
U.S. opioid prescribing rate has more than tripled since the early 1990s and opioid overdose deaths have quadrupled from 1999 to 2015, according to a release on the CVS Health website.
“Without a doubt, addressing our nation’s opioid crisis calls for a multipronged effort involving many healthcare stakeholders from doctors, dentists and pharmaceutical companies to pharmacies and government officials”¦ 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,” President and CEO of CVS Health Larry Merlo said.
Read More: Opioid painkiller blamed for HIV outbreak pulled from the market
CVS’s new opioid policy
The new policy will limit certain “acute” prescriptions to seven days, as well as the daily dosage based on the strength of the opioid. CVS will also require the use of instant release formulations of the painkillers to help reduce the risk of addiction and overdoses, according to Fortune.
CVS also said in the release that its pharmacists will talk to patients about the risks involved with opioid use.
The change will take effect in February of 2018.
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