ST. LOUIS /PRNewswire/ — On Tuesday, Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) was awarded the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) Excellence Award in the Opioid Management Strategy Category. The award comes in recognition of the ground breaking ways Express Scripts is helping plan sponsors fight the serious dangers of opioid misuse and abuse.
“PBMI’s recognition of our mission-driven work is validation that we are able to make a real difference in getting patients on a path toward safer use of opioid medication,” said Snezana Mahon, PharmD, vice president product development. “Opioids are a problem now deemed worthy of national emergency status, so we know our clients need the best opioid management solution on the market. Through Advanced Opioid ManagementSM, we are working together with clients to protect their members and their families.”
“We are pleased to present Express Scripts with this award for their Advanced Opioid Management solution which successfully influences behavior at each touchpoint of the drug therapy continuum helping patients appropriately utilize these highly addictive medications,” said Jane Lutz, Executive Director, PBMI. “The strategy behind this program blends prescriber support, patient outreach/education, and point of sale management for effective results.”
Curbing Opioid Misuse and Ensuring Safe Starts
Advanced Opioid Management is a comprehensive solution that reduces excessive and inappropriate opioid prescribing, particularly for those taking an opioid for the first time. The program puts clients in greater compliance with CDC guidelines recommended to address this national epidemic through safe opioid prescribing. Express Scripts’ solution includes patient education, physician alerting, and safe disposal along with limits on the quantity and type of opioid medication for individuals new to opioid therapy.
Early results demonstrate that, together with their clients, Express Scripts is curbing opioid misuse with a nearly 60 percent reduction in the average days’ supply for patients receiving an opioid prescription for the first time, from 18.6 days’ supply per prescription claim before the launch of the program, to 7.5 days’ supply per claim after the start of the program.
About Express Scripts
Express Scripts puts medicine within reach of tens of millions of people by aligning with plan sponsors, taking bold action and delivering patient-centered care to make better health more affordable and accessible.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Express Scripts provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services, including network-pharmacy claims processing, home delivery pharmacy care, specialty pharmacy care, specialty benefit management, benefit-design consultation, drug utilization review, formulary management, and medical and drug data analysis services. Express Scripts also distributes a full range of biopharmaceutical products and provides extensive cost-management and patient-care services.