Day Two of the Joint Meeting of the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee (DSaRM) and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee (AADPAC) was lively and full of debate and conversation.
The day started out with comments from the FDA, followed by presentations by Joanna G. Katzman, MD, MSPH, of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and Graham McMahon, MD, the President and CEO of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
The bulk of the morning was spent on the “Open Public Hearing” portion, where twenty-three participants, from various walks of life, various viewpoints, and with various reasons for involvement, gave their opinion on modification of REMS. Many of the speakers had positive things to say about REMS and CME, including many who believe that CME should be mandated for prescribers who are trying to obtain or renew their Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license, since many physicians and other providers may not voluntarily participate. The speakers also emphasized the need to expand the current REMS to IR opioids and to expand the scope of the program to target education towards the entire healthcare team and not just prescribers as pain management often requires several layers of help.
Several of the speakers, including Phyllis Zimmer, a board certified nurse practitioner, believe that the current ER-LA Opioid REMS is not an undue burden, nor does it limit patient access to physicians and appropriate care.
Some of the recommendations for updating REMS included: increase transparency for patients; develop a blueprint for patient information; increase the available range of activities, so that physicians and other practitioners can help close their personal gap, not a predetermined gap that may or may not benefit them individually; standardize REMS while allowing for increased flexibility; educate entire healthcare teams, not just physicians; include in the education other treatments that may reduce overall need for opioids; make REMS more comprehensive, including IR; provide education for providers on how to manage “at risk” patients; launch a public health campaign so the entire country is involved; and focus on education that emphasizes fewer patients, shorter duration of prescribing patterns, and lower dosages. Several speakers also mentioned the idea that REMS should include some screening for mental disorders, and provide education to providers on how to handle patients who may suffer from such illnesses.
The afternoon was full of questions to the committee and committee discussion. The committee did not hold a formal vote, but several members of the committee recommend that the FDA should update its education materials to incorporate the new CDC guidelines on opioid prescribing and other material on alternative pain treatments. There was a real concern that the learners were engaged and to do more work to show changes in clinical practice.
The committee also agreed with many morning presenters in recommending the continuing education component be mandatory and tied to DEA licensure, not voluntary, in order to be most effective.
Earlier in the day Graham McMahon, CEO of ACCME outlined how mandatory CME often is not effective in changing clinical practice and called for continuing education for physicians who prescribe opioids to be voluntary.
The committee also urged the FDA to update REMS to include shorter acting opioids, which have the potential to be more dangerous than ER/LA opioids. Critics of that idea believe that opioid manufacturers have too much control and influence over strategy but several of those who expressed concern applauded the REMS Program Committee for their work in supporting this effort.
While the FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its panelists, history reflects that the opinions and recommendations of panelists have a large effect on the eventual rules.