ICER’s report on opioid ADFs lays out several important facts. First, pain is a significant medical problem with potentially devastating costs for patients, particularly for chronic pain patients. Second, opioids can be a valuable medicine for pain patients, but they also present certain risks. And third, ADF opioids are an emerging technology that can help protect pain patients’ access to necessary medications while helping to reduce costs associated with the current opioid addiction crisis.
Due to several decisions made by the authors, however, the ICER report significantly understates ADFs’ value by underestimating or overlooking certain key benefits.
