WASHINGTON — The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has achieved a major policy victory by expanding pharmacists’ authority to treat opioid use disorder, following the signing of H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025.
The legislation, signed on December 1, includes a crucial provision that allows APhA and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education to offer an 8-hour continuing pharmacy education program that meets federal requirements for prescribing buprenorphine, a key medication for opioid use disorder. Completing this training will enable pharmacists to keep their DEA registration and start prescribing the treatment once state laws permit.
“Pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care, and this provision recognizes their critical role in addressing the opioid epidemic,” said APhA chief executive officer Michael D. Hogue. “By enabling pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine with appropriate training, we are expanding access to treatment and saving lives.”
The measure marks the first time APhA is explicitly mentioned in federal law, highlighting the organization’s increasing influence in national health policy.
The provision aligns with the Medication Access and Training Expansion Act and builds on the momentum from the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, which removed the former X-waiver requirement for prescribing buprenorphine.
The broader reauthorization bill renews programs aimed at preventing, treating, and recovering from substance use disorders, and it applies retroactively as if enacted on December 29, 2022. APhA said it will soon release details on how pharmacists can access the training.
