About Us

BACKGROUND

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)

The FDA has determined that a REMS is necessary for all opioid analgesics intended for outpatient use to ensure that the benefits of these drugs continue to outweigh the risks. The Opioid Analgesic REMS, approved on September 18, 2018, is one strategy among multiple national and state efforts to reduce the risk of abuse, misuse, addiction, overdose, and deaths due to prescription opioid analgesics.

The REMS program requires that training be made available to all health care providers (HCPs) who are involved in the management of patients with pain, including nurses and pharmacists. To meet this requirement, drug companies with approved opioid analgesics will provide unrestricted grants to accredited continuing education providers for the development of education courses for HCPs based on the FDA’s Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Treatment and Monitoring of Patients with Pain.

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Colleges of Pharmacy/Medicine

The UIC College of Pharmacy received an unrestricted educational grant from the FDA REMS Committee to provide continuing education to healthcare providers on the safe use of opioids.

This CE series used academic detailing to deliver educational content. Academic detailing is a one-on-one healthcare provider outreach program. It provides accurate, non-commercial, and up-to-date drug information. It is a unique interactive program tailored for each healthcare provider through customized and focused discussions. The AD visit lasts about 15-20 minutes and provides 0.5 hours of free continuing education. Our pharmacists are trained to provide tailored, unbiased, up-to-date drug information to assist clinicians in making evidence-based prescribing decisions for their patients.