APhA News Release (12/02/25)

H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 — the first legislation in which the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is explicitly named — was signed into law on December 1. The pharmacist advocacy organization played a key role in shaping the measure, which reauthorizes substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. The final version includes language that positions pharmacists to do more in the fight against opioid addiction and overdose. Specifically, the provision allows APhA and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education to provide continuing pharmacy education training that will in turn allow participating pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. "Pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care, and this provision recognizes their critical role in addressing the opioid epidemic," remarked APhA Executive Vice President and CEO Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP. "By enabling pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine with appropriate training, we are expanding access to treatment and saving lives." In order for pharmacists to access the 8-hour training, scope of practice at the state level must be expanded to authorize pharmacist prescribing of buprenorphine.

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