Mandatory PDMP for Prescribers Lowers Opioid Dispensing Rate

Legislation that requires prescribers to check Ohio’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) was found to lead to a reduction in the quantity of opioids and benzodiazepines dispensed in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

In this interrupted time series analysis, data from Ohio’s PDMP on prescription opioids and benzodiazepines dispensed from November 2014 through March 2017 was examined.

Ohio House Bill 341, which became effective in April 2015, mandates that prescribers use the PDMP. After April 2015, the researchers found a statistically significant decrease in the monthly quantity of opioids and benzodiazepines dispensed in Ohio. Between November 2014 and March 2017, the quantity of opioids dispensed decreased by 8.9%, and benzodiazepines decreased by 7.5%.

“This research contributes to the empirical evidence that mandatory PDMP checking for opioids and benzodiazepines is an effective regulatory strategy and additional research is needed to determine whether these reductions, in turn, are associated with less harm including non-medical use of prescription opioids and addiction,” the researchers wrote.

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Reference

Winstanley EL, Zhang Y, Mashni R, et al. Mandatory review of a prescription drug monitoring program and impact on opioid and benzodiazepine dispensing [published online May 1, 2018]. Drug Alcohol Depend. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.03.036