Sens. Warren, Capito Push Awareness of Law Allowing Partial Filling of Opioid Prescriptions

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) urged FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to task the agency’s opioid policy steering committee with promoting “partial fill” policies to limit the number of unused pills in circulation.

The senators pointed to a July 2016 federal law allowing partial filling of any Schedule II prescription — permitting, for example, doctors or patients to request that pharmacists only fill a three-day supply of a two-week prescription, a far lesser amount than the common 30-day supply.

Warren and Capito also sent letters to the governors of all 50 states, asking about implementation of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the partial filling policy, and whether any state-level laws prohibit the practice. The senators also contacted several medical organizations and prescriber groups.