The Regimen: Pharmacists Bridging the Treatment Gap for Patients with OUD

In episode 2 of The Regimen, host Jeffrey Bratberg, PharmD, BCPS, is joined by Michelle Caetano, PharmD, BCACP, CVDOE, CDOE, BCPT, to discuss her role in facilitating programs for Pharmacy Bridge and the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE).

“If you're interested in how pharmacists can play a more central role in treating opioid use disorder, or OUD, we’ll unpack that in the next 30 minutes,” said Bratberg, introducing the topic of the episode. “Fewer than 1 in 5 people with OUD in the US receive lifesaving medication for their disorder. Yet, 90% of Americans live within 5 minutes of a community pharmacy—a massive untapped opportunity for pharmacy practice and the patients [that] pharmacists serve. The Pharmacy Bridge website seeks to harness that opportunity.”

While impacts from the opioid epidemic have ravaged patients in communities across the country, these effects have too been felt by community pharmacists looking to exist as a crucial resource for patients undergoing substance use disorder (SUD). However, despite pharmacists’ unmatched access to the community, so many patients with OUD and SUD are going untreated.

In this episode, Bratberg attempts to shed light on pharmacists’ roles in OUD management, bringing on Caetano to discuss how she and her colleagues are advocating for the Pharmacy Bridge platform as well as regulatory changes for pharmacists across the country. As grant coordinator atUniversity of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, Caetano leads the efforts backed by Pharmacy Bridge and FORE.

See how Pharmacy Bridge is identifying regulatory, legal, and operational barriers in OUD management, as well as the program’s work to change the current landscape within this space.

Be sure to tune in every month on Drug Topics for important conversations around improving population health, health equity, and patient care through advocacy and education. All episodes of The Regimen will be available via DrugTopics.com on the last weekday of each month. Check out the inaugural episode released earlier this year and be on the lookout for monthly episodes into 2026.

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