| Abstract: | A coalition of 22 states and territories is requesting that the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lift restrictions on providing buprenorphine, one of the only three federally approved medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). “Buprenorphine is an essential tool in the fight to end the opioid epidemic,” said Howard Zucker, M.D., commissioner of health for New York state, which is leading the initiative. “Removing federal restrictions on prescribing buprenorphine will ultimately save lives and eliminate unnecessary barriers that prevent people with opioid use disorder from having access to treatment,” he said. |
