Mental health and substance abuse emergency response criteria. Final rule

Section 3102 of the Children's Health Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106-310, amends section 501 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa) to add a new subsection (m) entitled "Emergency Response." This newly enacted subsection 501(m) authorizes the Secretary to use up to, but no more than, 2.5% of all amounts appropriated under Title V of the PHS Act, other than those appropriated under Part C, in each fiscal year to make "noncompetitive grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to public entities to enable such entities to address emergency substance abuse or mental health needs in local communities." Because Congress believed the Secretary needed the ability to respond to emergencies, it exempted any grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements authorized under this section from the peer review process. See section 501(m)(1) of the PHS Act. Instead, the Secretary is to use an objective review process by establishing objective criteria to review applications for funds under this authority.     

Opioid drugs in maintenance and detoxification treatment of opiate addiction; addition of buprenorphine and buprenorphine combination to list of approved opioid treatment medications. Interim final rule

This interim final rule amends the Federal opioid treatment program regulations by adding buprenorphine and buprenorphine combination products to the list of approved opioid treatment medications that may be used in federally certified and registered opioid treatment programs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Subutex[reg] (buprenorphine) and Suboxone[reg] (buprenorphine in fixed combination with naloxone) for the treatment of opiate dependence. These two products will join methadone and ORLAAM[reg] as medications that may be used in opioid treatment programs for the maintenance and detoxification treatment of opioid dependence. Opioid treatment programs that choose to use these new products in the treatment of opioid dependence will adhere to the same Federal treatment standards established for methadone and ORLAAM[reg]. The Secretary invites public comments on this action.