Allied Against Opioid Abuse

Educating Professionals, and the Public, About Opioids

The pharmaceutical industry has an obvious stake in stopping misuse of the products it manufactures and distributes. That’s why U.S. drug companies have banded together in an organization called Allied Against Opioid Abuse.

Since its launch in early 2018, AAOA has enlisted more than a dozen national nonprofits and professional associations to help educate everyone about opioids, including pharmacists who dispense the drugs. AAOA now provides thousands of pharmacists nationwide with a toolkit, available through AAOA’s web site, to help them advise patients.

Also on the front lines of the fight against abuse: Physicians’ assistants (PAs) who, like doctors, are prescribers. AAOA is reaching out to PA students to educate them on what they need to make sure their future patients know about opioids. Working with the nonprofit PA Association, AAOA created a “Pledge to Pause” (http://bit.ly/2PN3g0P) : A promise to take a few minutes to inform patients of opioids’ possible risks before writing a prescription.