What's New

2013

• The revised draft of Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment. Posted May 2013
  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is seeking public comments on the revised 2007 SAMHSA Guidelines for the Accreditation of Opioid Treatment Programs. These guidelines elaborated upon the Federal opioid treatment standards set forth under 42 CFR Part 8.

2012

• Prescription Monitoring Program Presentation. Posted December 2012
  The attached presentation on the use of prescription drug monitoring program information in OTP settings is provided for information purposes. By posting, SAMHSA/CSAT is not suggesting that its content and recommendations are SAMHSA/CSAT approved or endorsed.
• Rule Provides Flexibility in Dispensing Buprenorphine for Opioid Addiction Treatment Posted December 2012
  Today, SAMHSA issued a Federal rule to allow patients being treated through an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) to receive take-home supplies of buprenorphine from an OTP in a more flexible manner. Buprenorphine is a medication used in opioid addiction treatment. The regulation takes effect on January 7, 2013.
  Under the rule change, OTPs will be permitted to dispense buprenorphine to eligible patients without having to adhere to previous length of time in treatment requirements. Currently, OTPs require a person to be in treatment a certain amount of time before being given a multiple days' supply of medicine to take home.
  The change in the rule will not affect requirements for dispensing methadone—the other opioid agonist treatment medication used by OTPs. SAMHSA based the change in the restrictions for dispensing buprenorphine on several factors. These include differences in the abuse potential between methadone and buprenorphine, as well as the actual abuse and mortality rates (buprenorphine is lower in each instance).
  
• National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Posted May 2012
  This letter is a brief reminder that May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. An estimated 3.5–5.3 million Americans are living with chronic (lifelong) hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection. Most of them do not know that they are infected, placing them at greater risk for severe, even fatal, complications from the disease and increasing the likelihood that they will spread the virus to others. We encourage you to use Hepatitis Awareness Month to learn more about this “silent epidemic.”
• Winners of the 2012 Science to Service Awards. Posted February 2012
  

2011

• Science and Service Awards for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) providers. Posted December 2011
  SAMHSA announced its inaugural Science and Service Awards for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) providers on December 5, 2011. This national awards program promotes excellence in the treatment of opioid addiction by honoring OTPs and OBOT providers using pharmacotherapy and other innovative approaches to enhance patient outcomes. The OTP awards will be announced at the 2012 national conference of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), and the OBOT awards will be announced at the 43rd Annual Medical Scientific Conference of the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM). A panel of experts will review the award applications and select five awardees from two categories: OTPs and OBOTs. All winners will receive a Science and Service award and will be prominently highlighted on SAMHSA’s web site. The deadline for submitting a completed application, electronically or hard copy is Friday, January 13, 2012, at 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time. For more information, please see SAMHSA Bulletin
• Methadone Mortality report for 2010. Posted November 2011
  This report provides a brief summary of the presentations and discussions at the July 29-30, 2010 meeting, “Methadone Mortality: A 2010 Reassessment,” which was sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The meeting brought together more than 90 epidemiologists, clinicians, educators, regulatory and enforcement officials, patient advocates, and policymakers for an in-depth reassessment of the current knowledge base on methadone-associated deaths and a review of progress in addressing the situation.
• Letter about State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). Posted October 2011
  For an example see A Case Study on Using Prescription Monitoring Program Data in an Outpatient Addictions Treatment Setting
• Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction - 2010 State Profiles. Posted July 2011
• An Issue of The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report underscoring the increase in emergency department visists after use af a drug sold as "Bath Salts". Posted June 2011

2010

• Special Issue of The American Journal on Addictions underscoring the clinical consequences of drug interactions between opioid therapies and other medications as well as with other abused substances. Posted February 2009

2009

• A new Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory from SAMHSA, "Emerging Issues in the Use of Methadone", Posted September 2009
• Risk Management Webinar and Workshop, Posted July 2009
• Request for Comment on Minimum Requirements for Criteria in Grant Applications Under the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 (NASPER), Federal Register Notice, Posted May 2009 (PDF, 74 KB)
• SAMHSA/FDA Public Education Campaign Targets Safe Use of Methadone, Posted April, 2009

2008

• FDA ALERT: Naltrexone Injection Site Reactions. Posted August 2008
• Hepatitis Infection in the Treatment of Opioid Dependence and Abuse. Posted June 2008
• SAMHSA guidance regarding labeling of take-home medication bottles. Posted May 2008 (PDF, 441 KB)
• Prescribing Courses: Clinical Challenges in Prescribing Controlled Drugs. Posted May, 2008
• Abuse, Addiction, and Pain Relief: Time for Change. CME Activity. Posted April, 2008
• Report of the Consultation and Debriefing Meeting on the Response to Fentanyl-Related Overdoses and Deaths, Washington, DC, August 2007 Posted April, 2008 (PDF, 330 KB)
• Restatement of SAMHSA guidance to OTPs on take-home doses when program closed for business (e.g., holidays) Posted January, 2008 (PDF, 149 KB)

2007

• As of January 1, 2008, distribution of methadone hydrochloride tablets, 40 mg (dispersible), will be limited to facilities authorized for detoxification and maintenance treatment of opioid addiction. Posted December, 2007 (PDF, 890 KB)
• NASPER Report to Congress (DOC, 1.3 MB)
• Final revised OTP Accreditation Guidelines Released

2006

• Methadone Public Health Advisory: New labeling
• Erratum for Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 43: Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in Opioid Treatment Programs
• Institute of Medicine Report: Preventing HIV in Intravenous Drug Users
• CSAT announces Digital Access to Medication pilot project Website
• Heroin-Fentanyl fact sheet (PDF, 36 KB)
• Revised draft OTP Accreditation Guidelines released
• Draft 'Hepatitis in Opioid Addiction Treatment' guidelines (PDF, 7,350 KB)
• SAMHSA Hepatitis A and B (TWINRIX®) Vaccination Initiative
• OTPs may now submit patient exception requests on-line
• New Buprenorphine Group Practice Limit Eliminated (PDF, 33 KB)
• New DEA Regulations Implement Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (PDF, 157 KB)
• Methadone Associated Mortality: Report of a National Assessment

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