In 2012 hydrocodone combination products (HCP) were among the most prescribed medications In the United States. Part of why HCPs were so readily prescribed in the past was because the addictive properties of these drugs we’re not yet known. However, in 2014 the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) was altered in order to better regulate and restrict the prescription of HCPs.
The objective of this comprehensive study and experiment was to learn what the effect of the aforementioned change was on the prescription of HCPs to the Medicaid population. To this end, researchers performed a retrospective study using pharmacy claims data to evaluate the studies selected Medicaid population one year before and after the 2014 change to the CSA.
The study found that HCP claims did in fact decrease after the CSA was changed, and also that before this change, there was an increase in prescriptions of HCPs. Today, HCPs are not prescribed as often as they were in 2012, and this study suggests that the reformation of the CSA played a role as a large factor in this change.