This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As a pharmacist serving our great state, I engage every day with Utahns who rely on prescription medications for treatment, cure and well-being. We all have loved ones or friends who at some point have needed prescription drugs to treat an illness, find freedom from pain or otherwise improve quality of life. If you have seen how a treatment can make such a profound difference in a person's life, then you can understand how devastating it can be to have access to that needed medication cut off.
At the same time, our nation is facing an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, with Utah putting up some of the worst statistics in the nation. Every month in Utah, 24 individuals die from prescription drug overdoses. Utah ranked fourth in the United States for drug poisoning deaths from 2012-2014. Deaths from overdose have outpaced deaths due to firearms, falls and motor vehicle crashes. This is a desperate public health crisis.
As a health care professional on the front lines of medication access, I understand the need for strong policies to prevent drugs from being diverted for improper purposes; in fact, pharmacists play a crucial role in recognizing trends that signal diversion is occurring and in taking action to prevent further misuse. Indeed, we have a corresponding responsibility with other health care providers to help protect patient safety through proper access to, and use of, prescription medications. The least effective medication is the one that is not taken, yet the most dangerous medication is that which is taken illicitly.
So what measures should be taken?
Pharmacists often find themselves in the middle of this ethical dilemma. Is it more important to preserve access or prevent diversion? We have a duty to help our patients receive the care they need, and we also have a duty to protect the public by minimizing drug diversion. The answer to this dilemma is that there is no easy solution. Both sides of the argument are important and need to be considered. Finding the right balance between preserving access and preventing drug diversion is a difficult task, one that involves multiple groups. Most recently, Congress took a significant step towards helping to strike this balance by passing the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act. The bill was signed into law by the president on April 19.
This bill, which was co-authored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, will encourage greater collaboration between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies. It clarifies previously undefined authorities of the DEA in a way that preserves the agency's ability to take action when needed but that also gives more certainty to members of the drug supply chain. It also allows good pharmacies, like mine, to work with the DEA to solve problems and improve practices relating to controlled substances rules and procedures. It will enable us to work together with regulatory agencies rather than regard them as a punitive force. All of these steps will help ensure that the supply chain of drugs for legitimate purposes remains unbroken, allowing patients who rely on prescription medications for treatment and cure to get them, while facilitating cooperation between pharmacies and the DEA to prevent diversion and its corresponding health crisis.
We can stay strong in our efforts to prevent drug abuse while still preserving people's access to needed drugs. The Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act makes important strides in this direction and will make a significant difference in our communities. I appreciate the efforts of Hatch and other leaders to turn this good policy into law.
Ryan D. Swensen, Pharm.D., graduated from University of Utah College of Pharmacy in 2001 and is a lifelong resident of Utah.