Abuse Deterrent Formulations of Opiods

The opioid epidemic is an ongoing issue in the United States and has recently been declared a national emergency by the government. While current efforts to reduce levels of opioid abuse are showing some effect, it is a slow process due to a multitude of factors that lead to an increase in the number of people who become addicted to opioids and who furthermore, suffer from an overdose. There are several abuse deterrent formulations that have been released in the last few years with different mechanisms of abuse deterrence. It is important for pharmacists to evaluate these different formulations to provide evidence based recommendations for choosing one agent over another. During this presentation, clinical questions will be provided periodically to aid with comprehension.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

-Discuss the role of abuse deterrent formulations as a whole in the opioid epidemic.
-Identify different kinds of mechanisms of abuse deterrent formulations.
-Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different abuse deterrent formulations.
-Evaluate clinical data behind the effectiveness of different abuse deterrent formulations.

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of pharmacists practicing in a variety of settings.

MCPHS University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.