CAPITO PRESSES FDA, GOVERNORS, MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPLEMENT NEW PARTIAL FILL LAW IN BATTLE AGAINST NATIONAL OPIOID CRISIS

Source: Shelley Moore Capito - (R-WV)

Washington, D.C. - September 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, governors across the country and 11 national medical member organizations, urging them to utilize provisions of the Reducing Unused Medications Act in their efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Introduced by Senators Capito and Warren, the bipartisan bill passed in 2016 as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. As a result of the senators’ work, federal law now allows prescriptions for Schedule II opioid medications, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, to be partially filled by pharmacists at the request of patients or doctors, reducing the number of unused painkillers in circulation.

Senator Capito also sent a separate letter to West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. In the letter, she asked Governor Justice to describe the status of partial fill implementation in the state, strategies for increasing awareness of the new policies among the general public and health care professionals and additional federal efforts that would help in limiting the amount of unused medications in homes.

“Encouraging prescribers to embrace the partial fill option for their patients can help to reduce the number of opioids left over in homes across the country,” the senators wrote to Commissioner Gottlieb. They requested that the FDA’s Opioid Policy Steering Committee “consider how the new partial fill law may help advance the FDA’s goals of better managing the risk of opioids and requiring greater prescriber education.”

In their letter to governors, the senators wrote, “As public officials work together to address the opioid epidemic, we must continue to build partnerships, take creative approaches, and look for every opportunity – big or small – to implement policies that prevent addiction and save lives.”

Additional letters were sent to the leaders of 11 national medical member organizations that play a critical role in reducing the number of unused medications that wind up in bathroom cabinets across the country. “We hope that you encourage your members to embrace partial filling options, which encourages honest conversations between patients and their doctors about their pain, as well as how much medication they feel comfortable having in the home,” the senators wrote.

The organizations included the National Community Pharmacists Association, the American Association Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Dental Education Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the American Pharmacists Association and the American Dental Association.

To read the letter to Governor Justice, click here.

To read the letter to Commissioner Gottlieb, click here.

To read the letters to governors, click here.

To read the letters to medical member organizations, click here.

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."

Norcross Provision to Help Vets Struggling with the Disease of Addiction Included in House Appropriations Bill

Washington, D.C. - July 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) successfully included a provision in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that helps veterans struggling with the disease of addiction by directing the Department of Defense to set aside $5 million to study the connection between opioid addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Our vets dedicate their lives to protecting us. The least we can do is dedicate money to help them fight the disease of addiction,” said Congressman Norcross. “We must do all we can for vets struggling with PTSD and opioid abuse – and I’m glad my commonsense provision is now part of the Appropriations Act.”

Norcross is the Vice-Chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, a group of lawmakers from across the political spectrum who are united against the public health crisis. The growing opioid epidemic causes 75,000 drug overdose deaths a year and, according to the American Medical Association, veterans with PTSD are at particular risk of abusing opioids.