For the past several months, HDA has been collaborating with our pharmacy partners at Allied Against Opioid Abuse (AAOA), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), to develop a suite of resources specific to the pharmacy community. We are pleased that last week, those resources were mailed to thousands of pharmacists across the country and released online at www.AgainstOpioidAbuse.org/PharmacyToolkit.

HDA and its member companies are committed to reversing our nation’s opioid abuse epidemic. That is why the Alliance is working with stakeholders in communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness about the dangers associated with opioid abuse and misuse.

Disposing of unused prescription opioids safely and as soon as they are no longer needed can help prevent these medicines from falling into the wrong hands. Data show that opioid misuse often starts in the home, with more than 40 percent of those who misused prescription pain relievers obtaining the medication from a friend or relative for free.

Today, the country is grappling with the opioid crisis, a complex issue that will only be solved if stakeholders across the public health, prevention and healthcare communities work collaboratively to address its root causes. 

As the country looks to reverse the harmful trend of opioid addiction, the need for education and awareness around the safe use of pain treatments has never been clearer.