science
Senators Introduce Bill to Allow Methadone Prescriptions at Pharmacies, Adding HHS Authority for More Prescribers
Sens. Ed Markey and Rand Paul introduced updated legislation Thursday to let board-certified addiction medicine doctors prescribe methadone for pharmacy pickup. The measure revives a 2023 proposal that cleared a Senate committee but stalled. It also lets HHS designate additional prescribers without new congressional votes.
nationalpost.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Sens. ) introduced an updated bill Thursday that would let doctors holding board certifications in addiction medicine prescribe methadone directly for patients to obtain at pharmacies, Stat reported. Methadone for opioid addiction treatment is currently dispensed only at roughly 2,000 specialty clinics.
Many of those programs have required patients to visit daily in person. Federal changes in 2024 gave the clinics, called opioid treatment programs, greater flexibility in dosing schedules. Markey first filed similar legislation in 2023.
The Senate health committee approved it on a bipartisan vote in December 2023, but the measure never reached a full Senate vote and made no progress in the House. The revised bill adds authority for the Department of Health and Human Services to name further categories of providers who may prescribe methadone without additional legislation.
Methadone is one of three FDA-approved drugs for treating opioid addiction.
A 2024 STAT investigation found private equity firms own stakes in about one-third of U.S. methadone clinics. Several private equity-backed chains and the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence ran a 2024 lobbying campaign titled “Program, Not a Pill” to block the earlier version of the legislation.
After the STAT report, Markey and Sen. ) opened separate inquiries into the private equity investments. The bill has received endorsements from Faces & Voices of Recovery, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the Drug Policy Alliance, the R Street Institute, and the Legal Action Center.
