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During the opening session of the APhA2021 Annual Meeting & Exposition, which is being held virtually March 12-15, keynote speaker Dan Schneider from the Netflix documentary\u00a0The Pharmacist<\/em>\u00a0shared his inspirational work in combating the opioid epidemic in the United States and offered advice for pharmacists who are motivated to do the same.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Schneider\u2019s Story<\/strong><\/p>\n Schneider, a pharmacist from Louisiana, lost his son in 1999 when he was murdered while buying opioids illegally. With little help from the police and stigma permeating the circumstances of his son\u2019s death, Schneider decided to take it upon himself to achieve some measure of justice. By engaging with community members and with the help of recovering addicts, Schneider was able to solve his son\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n Upon finding some sense of closure, Schneider made it his mission to combat the opioid epidemic by educating students and health care professionals on the stigma and dangers surrounding opioid addiction. Schneider admitted that, at the time, even at his own job, he noticed a pattern of young patients with less-than-severe pain having opioid prescriptions filled, and it didn\u2019t sit right with him. When he initially failed to incite change through contacting his state medical board, Schneider and his wife took it upon themselves to record one physician who was selling opioid prescriptions to her patients late at night. He was able to document her malpractice and subsequently reported it to local TV stations in their area and the medical board.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin 3 days, she was summarily suspended, never to practice again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, Schneider acknowledged that there are many parties accountable for the persistence of the US opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n Who Is Accountable?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is shared responsibility, and there\u2019s a lot of blame to go around,\u201d he explained. However, Schneider was certain that\u00a0Purdue Pharmaceuticals\u2019 activities in misleading patients and the FDA about oxycontin and other highly addictive opioids<\/a>\u00a0were the most damaging. Although the drugs were originally intended for limited or short-term uses, such as for cancer pain, Purdue expanded the use to include chronic pain. \u201cAnd that was actually the beginning of the opiate crisis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Greed and failure to effectively intervene on the problem involves many players within the health care system and continues to fuel the high opioid addiction rate, according to Schneider. Schneider also believes that FDA holds responsibility for approving opioids for chronic pain. Malpractice from physicians and pharmacists has an additional hand in the national problem, he said.<\/p>\n Dual Epidemics: COVID-19 and Opioid Addiction<\/strong><\/p>\n By the end of 2019, the opioid death rate was decreasing, and some were hopeful that the crisis had peaked. However, yet another effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was the surge in opioid deaths. In 2019, there were about 72,000 overdose-related deaths in the US; in 2020, it was nearly 82,000 \u2013 or 225 deaths per day, according to Schneider.<\/p>\n \u201cCOVID caused isolation. It increased depression, it increased stress for those that were in recovery. It hurt their chances at meeting together with people\u2026all of the sudden they were alone,\u201d Schneider said. These changes can easily trigger relapse.<\/p>\n Continue Schneider\u2019s Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n To combat both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis, pharmacists must be proactive. Schneider emphasized that naloxone could save an individual\u2019s life in the event of an overdose. Pharmacists are positioned to offer and counsel on the use of naloxone.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery opioid prescription series should probably go out with naloxone\u2026it should be signed that they refused to take it,\u201d Schneider said. \u201c[The pharmacist] is the gatekeeper. While he\u2019s talking to these people, he can discuss the addiction potential, the respiratory depression, and the potential for death.\u201d<\/p>\n