Tamar Krishnamurti took part in a NASEM drug forum

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation hosted a public workshop in June to examine drug disposal options to remove opioid analgesics from the home. Participants considered potential strategies for in-home drug disposal systems to mitigate the risk of nonmedical use or overdose associated with opioids.

Tamar Krishnamurti, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and FemTech Program Director for the Center for Innovative Research on Gender Health Equity (CONVERGE), was an invited panelist discussing real-world implementation and use of in-home opioid disposal systems.

Krishnamurti made key points about the importance of clear, concise and actionable information about the safe and effective use of in-home opioid disposals to engender public trust. She also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary teams, including people with lived experiences, to develop and iteratively test communications and behavioral interventions before they are deployed, as well as education and dissemination opportunities that extend into a patient’s trusted social network.

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