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The article discusses the prevalence of cost-related medication underuse (CRMU) or cost-related nonadherence (CRN) in the U.S., as well as the recommended strategies to bolster medication adherence at care transitions. Topics include CRMU prevalence in other countries like Canada, Norway and Sweden, healthcare-associated costs like out-of-pocket cost (OOPC), and the factors resulting in increased drug prices in the U.S. like research and development costs.

The article reports that the U.S. Congress held its fifth meeting on drug shortages without arriving at any conclusion. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) is up for renewal in 2012, which helps the FDA to collect fees from companies producing certain pharmaceuticals. The main issue being debated is whether to address drug shortages in the upcoming PDUFA reauthorization or do it alone. Some of the improvements that have taken place according to the FDA are described.

The article reports on the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patient and Communities Act signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on October 24, 2018. It aims to defeat the opioid epidemic. It was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 13, 2018 by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) released an issue brief summarizing provisions that ASHP supported.

The article introduces a debate over the proposed upscheduling of hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on its potential for abuse and lethality.