^®: CRE Regulatory Action of the Week

GAO Reports on Prescription Opioid Disposal
In September 2019, the U.S. Government Accounting Office published the following Report to Congress: PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS Patient Options for Safe and Effective Disposal of Unused Opioids. This GAO Report found that many patients are unaware of federally recommended disposal methods or choose not to dispose of unused prescription opioids. For example, between one-quarter and three quarters of patients stored unused opioids for future use or had misplaced their unused opioids. Further, federal data indicate that 85 percent of intentional misuse occurs with the patient’s knowledge. To educate and motivate patients to dispose of unused opioids properly, FDA and other stakeholders have created educational materials for patients and providers on safe opioid disposal.