NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning those who medically need prescription drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may face a disruption in accessing care.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal healthcare fraud indictment against Done Global, a large telehealth company. According to the lawsuit, prosecutors alleged that Done Global helped prescribe more than 40 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants and made over $100 million in revenue.
“As alleged, these defendants exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to develop and carry out a $100 million scheme to defraud taxpayers and provide easy access to Adderall and other stimulants for no legitimate medical purpose,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “Those seeking to profit from addiction by illegally distributing controlled substances over the internet should know that they cannot hide their crimes and that the Justice Department will hold them accountable.”
According to the CDC, this potential disruption coincides with an ongoing prescription drug shortage involving several stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat ADHD, including immediate-release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts (brand name Adderall®), which has been on the federal drug shortage list since October 2022.
“When it's something that has a stigma on it, we hate that because there are patients that do need these medications, and we don't want them to go onto the streets,” said Alec Sain, a pharmacist at Reeves-Sain Drug Store. “There are studies that show that seven out of 10 medications that police officers see have illicit counterfeit products in them. We want medications to be safe and we want them to be accessible.”
It was about seven months ago when Sain said he noticed the problem of not being able to keep ADHD medications in stock heightening.
"For instance, right now, Adderall has been a very hard one to get - the generic versions of it, the extended-release versions of it, and certain strengths have been very hard to get and the supply chain is not maintaining it,” Sain said. “We always watch our wholesaler's website, they say, come back on this date and there should be allotments available. It's usually about one to two weeks without us getting certain strengths."
Sain described the situation as chaotic, but he said it’s important to speak face-to-face with your pharmacist to ensure you’re getting the best care possible under the unfortunate circumstances.
“It's just been a huge issue. We've been working with prescribers around Middle Tennessee, letting them know that there's an issue going on, but also working with the patient,” Sain said. “Parents that have children that have ADHD medications, that's a huge thing. We want our children in schools to be able to pay attention and not cause disruptions, and stimulants actually are a medication that is very commonly prescribed for that reason. So when there's a disruption in the chain, we want to sit down with those patients and those parents and let them know, there are other options out there.”
To read the CDC’s health alert, click here.
If you’d like to learn more about Reeves-Sain Drug Store in Murfreesboro, you can check out their website, follow them on Instagram or visit them in person at 1801 Memorial Blvd Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/1TJEbrc
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