WASHINGTON – Today, the Alliance for Patient Access made the following statement regarding the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s (ICER) final report on the value of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations (ADFs).
ICER concludes that “existing evidence is not adequate to demonstrate that abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) of opioids are effective in reducing overall abuse of opioids at a population level.”
However, clinicians, advocates and patients view abuse-deterrent opioids as an effective way to help curb opioid abuse while not limiting access to patients with legitimate need.
STATEMENT FROM BRIAN KENNEDY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALLIANCE FOR PATIENT ACCESS:
“ICER’s report, not surprisingly, is disappointing because it jeopardizes these medications’ availability for patients and physicians who want to fight abuse while maintaining access to necessary pain care. The opioid abuse crisis grows more pressing every day, and this is one tool we have to help fight it. ICER’s conclusions may have a negative influence on the potential impact ADF’s could have in reducing abuse and diversion, and that’s a step in the wrong direction.”
In June the Institute for Patient Access responded to ICER’s draft report, outlining four areas where ICER significantly understates certain key benefits.
- The ICER model makes imprecise calculations about ADFs’ value and impact on the opioid abuse epidemic.
- ICER’s baseline analysis ignores ADFs’ ability to curb opioid diversion.
- ICER’s cost model omits expected savings that ADFs generate with respect to the social costs of the opioid addiction crisis.
- The ICER report overlooks ADFs’ ability to reduce the conflict between ensuring pain patients’ access to necessary medicine and addressing the problem of opioid abuse.
An infographic from the Alliance for Balanced Pain Management explains how abuse-deterrent opioids can reduce opioid abuse and benefit patients.
The Alliance for Patient Access is a national network of physicians dedicated to ensuring patient access to approved therapies and appropriate clinical care.
