THE BLURRED LINE BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND HEALTH CARE:

From Pain-Topics.Org News, Oct 3, some observations regarding the DEA and opioid prescribing: “Involvement of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the FDA’s plans for an opioid-REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) initiative is still unknown. However, if what is happening with the prescribing of buprenorphine is any example, practitioners prescribing opioids for pain may be headed for considerable aggravation in the name of “regulatory responsibility. … While the vast majority of buprenorphine prescribers would probably have nothing to fear from DEA inspections, healthcare providers are understandably loathe to have government agencies scrutinizing their practices for any reason. Many will no doubt opt out of the buprenorphine program. Is this what the future might hold in store for opioid analgesics under REMS initiatives?” For Full story.