Opioid Crisis

Washington, D.C. - August 28, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently came to a decision decision to host a public meeting next month to seek the expertise of the Pediatric Advisory Committee about the use of prescription opioids containing hydrocodone or codeine to treat a cough in pediatric patients.

The decision comes less than two weeks after President Trump declared a national emergency on the opioid crisis in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62 people died every day in 2015 from an overdose death involving prescription opioids.

In December 2015, Congressman Rogers and 14 of his colleagues signed a joint letter asking the FDA to reconsider its decision to approve OxyContin for use by children and urged the federal agency to allow an advisory committee to gather public input and expert testimony before making an official recommendation.

Earlier this year, the FDA changed labeling requirements for prescription codeine medications to better protect children from serious risks, including life-threatening respiratory depression and death. The new labels include a warning that codeine should not be used for any reason, including treatment of cough, in children younger than 12 years.

Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) led a letter to President Trump with Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), urging him to implement the recommendations of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. It was signed by 52 Members of Congress.

The letter encourages the President to follow through with the report's recommendation to waive the Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion within the Medicaid program. The IMD exclusion prohibits Medicaid from paying for care for patients in large residential mental health or substance abuse facilities. The commission has recommended this exclusion be waived.

“Since 1999, more than 300,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses,” Foster said. “This epidemic has affected communities across this country, including the 11th District. Medicaid’s current IMD exclusion limits treatment for the most vulnerable populations. There is widespread, bipartisan agreement that eliminating the IMD exclusion will immediately help people get the treatment they need. I urge President Trump to grant these waivers and work with us to combat the opioid epidemic to save lives."

Below are statements and more information about this (please keep checking back for updates on this page):

House Representative Mike (AL) Rogers (R-AL, 3rd):

“I applaud FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb for taking preliminary steps to safeguard our children and educate prescribers about the unnecessary use of highly addictive painkillers to treat a child’s cough. The risk of addiction and other detrimental side effects should be primary considerations when prescribing opioids to children. It's encouraging to see the FDA take additional measures to make informed decisions before approving powerful painkillers for the nation’s smallest patients. Drug manufacturers who stand to profit from the sale of these medications should never be the sole advisors to the FDA."