Opioid Abuse: Fighting the Epidemic

Each day, our distribution team delivers lifesaving medicines to pharmacies, hospitals and clinics that serve millions of Americans. We take to heart that each and every item delivered — every pill bottle, every vial, every ointment — reaches a patient in need. We know that it’s not just a package, it’s a patient.

As the opioid epidemic continues to evolve, we have enhanced our teams, processes and technologies dedicated to preventing diversion. We are committed to maintaining — and continuously improving — strong programs designed to detect and prevent opioid diversion within the pharmaceutical supply chain, while also protecting the availability of appropriate treatments for patients with serious illnesses and injuries.

This complicated, multi-faceted public health crisis must be addressed through a comprehensive and collaborative approach. Each participant in the pharmaceutical supply chain can play an important role, including:

• The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has regulatory oversight for all DEA-registrants (e.g., doctors, pharmacists and distributors), sets yearly quotas for the volume of opioids that can be manufactured, and maintains the ARCOS database, which keeps track of all shipments of certain controlled substances
• Drug manufacturers that design, develop and promote the medication
• Healthcare providers who prescribe the medication
• Pharmacists who dispense the medication
• Private and public health insurance groups that determine what they will pay for
• State medical and pharmacy boards that oversee the doctors and pharmacists in their jurisdiction
• Distributors that deliver medications ordered by pharmacists to fill prescriptions written by doctors
• State and local law enforcement responsible for enforcing laws related to controlled substances

We are committed to engaging with all who share our dedication to acting with urgency to address this epidemic and working together to end this national crisis. We encourage you to click through the tabs below to learn more about our response to the opioid crisis.