AMA addresses naloxone, drug ads in policy statements

The American Medical Association's (AMA's) House of Delegates has adopted several policies of interest to the addiction treatment community, including one encouraging drug manufacturers to pursue approval of over-the-counter formulations of the opioid overdose reveral drug naloxone.

Convening at the AMA's Interim Meeting in Atlanta this week, the association's policy-making body adopted the policy that seeks to increase consumer access to naloxone, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says has saved the lives of more than 26,000 Americans over the past two decades.

Also at this week's meeting, the House of Delegates adopted a policy to encourage more physicians and medical students to seek help for mental health problems by promoting confidential and accessible treatment services. On Nov. 17, the policy-making body also called for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the U.S., stating that “a growing proliferation of ads is driving demand for expensive treatments despite the clinical effectiveness of less costly alternatives.”