Staff Report with Final Results: Texas State Board of Pharmacy Page: 10
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June 2017
Sunset Advisory Commission
decisions. In addition, regulatory agencies can use the database to investigate potential illicit behavior
by licensees such as overprescribing or improper dispensing. In 2015, the Legislature transferred
responsibility for the Prescription Monitoring Program from the Department of Public Safety to the
pharmacy board, reflecting a desire to improve the system's usability and better use the information
for public health purposes.8 The board has been working to transition to a new vendor, with a goal
to improve features, streamline reporting, and make it easier to monitor and identify potential invalid
prescriptions. The board's new system will begin operating on September 1, 2016.Texas pharmacies
purchased more
than 500 million
hydrocodone
pills in 2015.Findings
Millions of highly addictive prescriptions are dispensed in
Texas each year, posing a significant risk for abuse and public
harm.
In fiscal year 2015, Texas pharmacies dispensed more than 11 million
prescriptions for five highly addictive, frequently abused controlled substances,
or about one of these prescriptions for every 2.4 Texans, as shown in the chart
below. Hydrocodone is the most prescribed controlled substance in Texas, and
the most abused opioid in the United States.9 Texas pharmacies purchased
more than 500 million pills of this highly addictive drug for dispensing to
Texas patients in 2015.10 In total, Texas pharmacies dispensed nearly 38.6
million prescriptions for all types of controlled substances that year, each of
which carries a risk of abuse.'1
While many patients need these drugs for legitimate medical purposes including
severe pain, the potential for abuse and harm is great. In 2013, more than
5,700 people called the Texas Poison Center Network due to prescription
opioid exposure.'2 In addition, nearly 1,000 Texans died from prescription
drug overdoses in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control.'3
While Texas' reported number of prescription drug overdose deaths is lower
than those of other states, the inherent danger of taking these drugs and the
volume at which they are dispensed pose an ongoing, high public health risk.'4Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs Dispensed
by Texas Pharmacies - FY 201515
Controlled Substance Prescr dtions
Vicodin (Hydrocodone)* 6,160,127
Xanax (Alprazolam)* 3,251,977
OxyContin (Oxycodone) 764,731
Soma (Carisoprodol)* 677,809
Promethazine with codeine 344,305
(Cough syrup with codeine)
Total 11,198,949
* Many drug abusers seek prescriptions for hydrocodone,
alprazolam, and carisoprodol, a combination referred to as
"the Houston cocktail" that creates a heroin-like effect.161 O Texas State Board of Pharmacy Staff Report with Final Results
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Ogle, Steven; Schiff, Tamara; Hartley, Cee & Teleki, Katharine. Staff Report with Final Results: Texas State Board of Pharmacy, report, June 2017; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1033475/m1/34/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.