Pharmacy harm reduction practices to help reduce opioid overdoses, Arizona 2023

Characterizing pharmacies based on their practices, community need for such practices and pharmacy type could advance pharmacy-based intervention precision to reinforce or increase pharmacy practices related to reducing opioid overdose deaths.

To measure a combination of 3 pharmacy practices focused on opioid overdose death reduction and explore whether there are discernable groupings related to practices, pharmacy characteristics, and community characteristics.

A telephone survey was conducted between August 1, 2023 and October 8, 2023 with the pharmacist on duty at 921 Arizona community pharmacies. The survey measured pharmacy characteristics, buprenorphine stocking, buprenorphine and naltrexone dispensing, likelihood of methadone dispensing for opioid use disorder (OUD) when legally permitted, and interest in state-subsidized naloxone dispensing.

A response rate of 22.6% was achieved (N = 208). The vast majority (93.8%) of pharmacies stocked buprenorphine and dispensed buprenorphine or naltrexone. About half (47.6%) were very likely or somewhat likely to dispense methadone for OUD when permitted. Metropolitan pharmacies were less likely to dispense methadone compared to rural pharmacies (45.1% Vs. 75.0%). Among pharmacies not likely to dispense methadone, 85.3% were located in counties with opioid overdose death rates above the national average. About half of pharmacies indicated interest in enrolling as a distributor of state-subsidized naloxone. When considered together as pharmacy practices, 26% of pharmacies reported frequent buprenorphine or naltrexone dispensing, expressed interest in subsidized naloxone dispensing and a likelihood of methadone dispensing. Latent class analysis yielded 4 distinct groups of pharmacies ranging from those only dispensing buprenorphine or naltrexone frequently to adopters of the 3 pharmacy practices related to opioid overdose reduction in the community. The 'adopters' who frequently dispensed buprenorphine or naltrexone, who had interest in subsidized naloxone, and would likely dispense methadone for OUD tended to be in metropolitan or small/rural areas but tended not to be mass merchandizers.

An emerging group of pharmacies shows potential for greater adoption of pharmacy practices to reduce opioid overdose. Larger, multistate studies will help verify pharmacy latent class groups for greater precision of pharmacy practice interventions to reduce opioid overdose in communities. It is crucial to explore why pharmacies in higher need counties are not likely to adopt practices related to opioid overdose reduction.