Opinion: Cutting opioid supplies in our community with non-narcotic alternatives
If you’re a patient who’s had a surgery and dealing with acute post-surgical pain, why choose an opioid-based pain reliever when there are equally effective, FDA-approved, opioid-free alternatives? That’s the question medical professionals, addiction specialists, youth advocates, and others are asking. Unfortunately, due to a flaw in the way parts of the health care system are paid for, particularly in Medicare: Patients and providers are steered towards using opioids. It’s disappointing to realize that something as simple as outdated Medicare reimbursement rules can push narcotics on patients. The hard reality is these rules, which effectively incentivize the use of opioids for post-surgical pain relief, are contributing to the deadly oversupply of opioids in our communities. In 2016 alone, more than 340 Alabamians died of opioid overdose. This is a crisis impacting all facets of society – patient, providers, families, students, and businesses alike. However, there is reason for hope in that many affected families are not letting despair undermine their resolve to combat the problem, using every means possible. That’s the impetus behind The Will Bright Foundation, named for Will, who died of overdose at age 25. As important as it is to support treatment for those with existing substance abuse disorders, we also need to focus on getting ahead of this crisis. Prevention is a powerful tool to get ahead of the crisis and protect people from being exposed to potential risks early-on. Reducing exposure to opioids in the first place is an important place for us to start. Every opioid exposure increases addiction risk. In 2015, there were over 141 opioid prescriptions written for every 100 people in Alabama—enough to give each resident a bottle of painkillers and then some. Opioids can be medically necessary, but post-surgical prescribing could be reduced if non-opioid therapies were more widely used. Physicians and other medical professionals want to turn to these safer medications, but they face significant barriers. Medicare policy is a big one. Surgeries are currently compensated by Medicare with a lump sum, which must cover any post-operative pain medicines. Non-narcotic painkillers cost modestly more than opioids, up to $300. At a time when hospitals, especially those in rural areas, are struggling for survival, they cannot independently absorb that cost increase for hundreds of operations each year. How Medicare reimburses makes a difference, because 44 million older and disabled Americans—15 percent of the population—rely on Medicare for their health coverage. The end result: opioids are prescribed for nine in ten surgical patients, even though many safer drugs exist. For patients undergoing multiple procedures, repeated post-operative treatment with opioids poses serious risk. And for those with a history of addiction, a dose of codeine can be enough to spark a relapse. It’s no wonder older people are exhibiting a sharp increase in opioid use disorders. They are not seeking a high from these drugs, but they are being repeatedly and dangerously exposed to them through routine medical treatment. Complicating the issue, the vast majority of patients don’t finish their painkiller supply. Without proper disposal, the drugs linger in medicine cabinets, where they are accessible by family members, guests, and thieves. Literally billions of legally prescribed pain pills have found their way onto the streets. These drugs are flooding our college campuses and our high schools. Young people report that prescription painkillers are easier to obtain than alcohol. But every “experiment” with a narcotic is hazardous. Suddenly, a good student takes a painkiller recreationally—or is treated for a legitimate medical issue after a few non-medicinal exposures—and they just can’t stop. This is far too dangerous a trap to set for people at such a vulnerable age. Fortunately, Alabama’s U.S. Senator Doug Jones is out in front on this issue. Along with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Senator Jones has asked the federal government to change Medicare rules to separately reimburse for non-opioid pain medicines used after surgery. This will tip the balance toward safer, non-opioid medicines and help keep opioids out of our communities. Reduce exposure, reduce supply, and we can reduce addiction. ••• Katie Beckham, PA-C, MSPAS, Alabama Society of Physician Assistants Lisa and Bill Bright, founders of the Will Bright Foundation Gerald Fraas, president and co-founder of Students for Opioid Solutions Dr. Paul Rider, M.D., University of South Alabama Medical Center
US health chief says opioid overdose deaths beginning to level off
The number of U.S. drug overdose deaths has begun to level off after years of relentless increases driven by the opioid epidemic, health secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday, cautioning it’s too soon to declare victory. “We are so far from the end of the epidemic, but we are perhaps, at the end of the beginning,” Azar said at a health care event sponsored by the Milken Institute think tank. Confronting the opioid epidemic has been the rare issue uniting Republicans and Democrats in a politically divided nation. A bill providing major funding for treatment was passed under former President Barack Obama. More money followed earlier this year under President Donald Trump. And tomorrow Trump is expected to sign bipartisan legislation passed this month that increases access to treatment, among other steps. More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses last year, according to preliminary numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer— a 10 percent increase from 2016. Health and Human Services — the department Azar heads — is playing a central role in the government’s response. In his speech Azar suggested that multi-pronged efforts to bring the epidemic under control are paying off. He ticked off statistics showing an increase in treatment with medications such as buprenorphine and naltrexone. There’s solid evidence backing medication-assisted treatment, when used alongside counseling and ongoing support. He also noted much broader access to the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, and a documented decline in the number of people misusing prescription opioids as doctors take greater care in prescribing. Azar said that toward the end of last year and through the beginning of this year, the number of deaths “has begun to plateau.” Azar was not indicating that deaths are going down, but noting that they appear to be rising at a slower rate than previously seen. Earlier this month, the CDC released figures — also preliminary — that appear to show a slowdown in overdose deaths in late 2017 and the first three months of this year. From December to March, those figures show that the pace of the increase over the previous 12 months has slowed from 10 percent to 3 percent, according to the preliminary CDC figures. Despite the slowdown, the nation is still in the midst of the deadliest drug overdose epidemic in its history. Opioids were involved in most of the deaths, killing nearly 48,000 people last year. While prescription opioid and heroin deaths appear to be leveling off, deaths involving fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamines are on the rise. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid much more powerful than heroin, used as an additive in street drugs. Advocates for people struggling with addiction said they don’t believe the crisis will be quickly or easily resolved. “Even if we are beginning to make a dent in opioid deaths, we still have a really significant problem in this country with addiction, and with the hopelessness and despair so many communities feel,” said Chuck Ingoglia, senior vice president at the National Council for Behavioral Health. In President Barack Obama’s last year in office, his administration secured a commitment to expand treatment and Congress provided $1 billion in grants to states. Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency. Two major funding bills have passed under his watch. While Trump got headlines with his call for using the death penalty against major drug dealers, his administration has built on the treatment approach that Obama favored. The Medicaid expansion in Obama’s Affordable Care Act has also played a critical role, paying for low-income adults to go into treatment. A recent Associated Press analysis showed that states that expanded Medicaid are spending their new opioid grant money from Congress more judiciously, going beyond basics like treatment for people in crisis. Trump tried to repeal the Medicaid expansion, but failed. Advocates for treatment say that they’re pleased that more and more addiction is considered a disease and not a sign of moral weakness. But they say the U.S. has a long way to go build what they call an “infrastructure of care,” a system that incorporates prevention, treatment and recovery. In an interview with The Associated Press this summer, a CDC expert said the overdose death numbers appear to be shifting for the better, but it’s too soon to draw firm conclusions. Month-to-month data show a leveling off in the number of deaths, said Bob Anderson, a senior statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics. However, those numbers are considered preliminary, since death investigations have not been completed in all cases. “It appears at this point that we may have reached a peak and we may start to see a decline,” said Anderson. “This reminds me of what we saw with HIV in the ’90s.” Final numbers for 2018 won’t be available until the end of next year and things could also get worse, not better. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Martha Roby: Continuing our fight against the opioid crisis
While the news of the day and partisan bickering often distract from the issue, it is important that we remember our nation is in the midst of an urgent public health epidemic that is ravaging virtually every community in this country. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been cut short by opioid addiction and abuse in recent years. Last year alone, more than 72,000 Americans lost their lives due to complications from drug overdose. Of those fatalities, nearly 50,000 were related to opioids. In Congress, we have made great strides towards addressing this tragic epidemic that is gripping the State of Alabama and the entire country, and we recently made even more progress by passing H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This bill authorizes critical funding to assist states in combatting the opioid crisis, expand patient access to addiction treatment, and improve the detection of importation of illegal drugs, including fentanyl. H.R. 6 has passed both the House and Senate and now awaits President Trump’s signature. I am eager to see it become law. One aspect of H.R. 6 that is especially worth highlighting is the bill’s increased attention to addiction treatment. This legislation will create a grant program for comprehensive recovery centers that provide housing and job training in addition to mental and physical health care. The bill will also increase access to medication-assisted treatments that help individuals with addiction disorders safely wean themselves off of opioids. Another significant element of H.R. 6 is the change it would implement to an outdated rule that prohibits Medicaid from covering patients with substance abuse disorders who were receiving treatment in a mental health facility with more than 16 beds. This legislation will lift that rule and allow up to 30 days of residential treatment coverage. In addition to House and Senate passage of H.R. 6, Congress has allocated $8.5 billion this year for opioid-related programs. While there’s no guarantee of this level of funding in future years, I believe that Congress is taking this public health crisis seriously and will remain committed to properly funding efforts to combat it. The opioid crisis has devastated both rural and urban communities of all sizes in every corner of our country. The problem has grown too large to solve itself, and while I am proud of the steps we’ve taken in Congress, much work remains in this fight. Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, causing more fatalities than car accidents. In order to fight this battle with the aggression it requires, we must be unified and coordinated in our efforts. Action must be taken by leadership in local communities, in state governments, and in the federal government. I am glad that in Congress, this fight has garnered the widespread support it deserves. American lives depend on all of us, and our work is far from being complete. I’m eager to see President Trump sign H.R. 6 into law, and I will continue to support efforts to combat the opioid epidemic on behalf of Alabama’s Second District. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
Doug Jones’ bill penalizes fentanyl exporters, calls out China
A bipartisan bill aimed at combatting the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic proposes new penalties on foreign countries that turn a blind eye to drug kingpins who export deadly fentanyl to the United States. Sponsored by Alabama U.S. Sen. Doug Jones and Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, the Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act would make American foreign aid contingent upon a recipient country cooperating with U.S. drug enforcement efforts relating to fentanyl. Under this measure, a fentanyl-producing nation, such as China, would lose access to the Export-Import Bank and be ineligible for other U.S. taxpayer-subsidized aid if it fails to cooperate with the U.S. on narcotics control. “Like many places across the country, Alabama is in the midst of a substance abuse and overdose crisis, in part because of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl,” said Jones. “Fentanyl not only harms those who use it, but it also poses a serious threat to our first responders should they be exposed. This legislation is another smart step to stop illicit fentanyl from being transported across our borders and into our communities.” Fentanyl has caused fatal overdoses across the United States. Sometimes added to heroin or cocaine without the user knowing, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine, and can kill those who come in contact with even minuscule amounts of it. Many in law enforcement and the health care industry believe it is drug catalyst of the national opioid epidemic. This measure would also require the State Department to identify in its annual report on narcotics trafficking those countries that are major producers of fentanyl. This requirement is already in place for countries that are major sources of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. “The opioid and heroin epidemic has become increasingly lethal in part due to the widespread presence of illicit fentanyl,” said the bill’s co-sponsor Toomey. “Since fentanyl can be fifty times as potent as heroin, just a tiny amount of this dangerous substance can kill a person, including first responders who may be inadvertently exposed to the drug when responding to an overdose victim or a crime scene. For the sake of our communities and the safety of law enforcement, countries like China must stop illicitly exporting fentanyl and improve their drug enforcement efforts now.” Calling out China’s role in illicit fentanyl exports With deaths from illicit fentanyl sourced from China continuing to climb at dramatic rates, it is clear more needs to be done to stem the flow of this deadly substance into our country. In September 2017 and April 2018, the United States indicted six Chinese nationals in connection with fentanyl manufacturing and distribution. All six charged Chinese nationals remain at large. In November 2017, President Donald Trump requested that China schedule fentanyl as a class, which would effectively place all fentanyl analogues under control.[10] In April 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicated he was seeking “greater cooperation” from China in sharing bank records in order to reduce illicit fentanyl imports. The Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act would require countries like China that are major sources of fentanyl to comply with international agreements on narcotics control, give regulators authority to ban new illicit dangerous substances in an emergency, prosecute drug makers who produce fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, and regulate the ownership of pill presses, which are used to produce counterfeit narcotics.
Richard Shelby, Doug Jones concur on key vote to combat opioid epidemic ravaging Alabama
With the support of both Alabama senators, the U.S. Senate on Monday passed sweeping, bipartisan legislation aimed at combating the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic. The legislation, H.R. 6: The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, combines three major bills that, together, aim to improve federal coordination of the opioid response, increase access to treatment, improve coordination of care, invest in non-opioid pain-killer research, and stop the flow of synthetic drugs into our country. It also reauthorizes funding and provides additional flexibility to states as they respond to the crisis. It passed by a vote of 99 – 1. “I am proud to have supported this significant legislation that will aid in combatting a crisis that is affecting nearly every community in the nation,” said Alabama’s senior Senator Richard Shelby. “We have worked in a bicameral, bipartisan effort to fight the dangerous opioid epidemic and present viable solutions for prevention. I look forward to getting this bill to the President’s desk for his signature.” “The opioid crisis has taken hold in every corner of our nation, and while we have seen some strides to turn that tide, we need to take an all-of-the-above approach to combatting this deadly epidemic,”said Jones, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “I was proud to support a comprehensive legislative effort through my work on the HELP Committee and I am glad to see several of the provisions I supported early on have been included in the final bill.” Last Thursday, the Senate and House Appropriations Conference Committee came to an agreement on H.R. 6157, which includes $3.8 billion for opioid funding, an increase of $206 million above the Fiscal Year 2018 enacted level. Alabama’s ongoing struggle with opioids Alabama is at Ground Zero in the opioid overdose crisis — last year the state had the highest national number of opioid prescriptions, more than the state’s total population, according to a report by insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield. According to a July study conducted by Harvard University, two Alabama Congressional Districts rank among the top five districts with the highest opioid prescription rates in the U.S. Alabama’s 4th Congressional District has the highest prescription rate in the country. Whereas Alabama’s 1st Congressional District has the 5th highest rate.
Lawmakers announce opioid overdose devices for high schools statewide
An auto-injection device that helps reverse an overdose from opioids, like heroin and prescription painkillers, is being offered for free to high schools across the state of Alabama. A group of Alabama state senators made the announcement during a press conference Thursday that the manufacturing company Kaleo Inc. is providing the devices that can help prevent someone from dying from an opioid overdose to public and private schools statewide. Each device normally costs $3,000. Schools interested in getting one will be trained by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on how to use the device. In May, Kaleo Inc. donated of 872 boxes, which each hold two devices, to carry in state volunteer rescue vehicles. The device called Evzio auto-injects the life-saving drug naloxone and contains a voice recording that talks an untrained non-medical professional through administering it. On Thursday, Dial said the devices have already saved 15 lives in the state of Alabama. Alabama’s struggle with opioids Alabama is at Ground Zero in the opioid overdose crisis — last year the state had the highest national number of opioid prescriptions, more than the state’s total population, according to a report by insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield. “Opioid abuse continues to be one of the most critical issues our society faces — over 49,000 Americans died last year from opioid overdoses,” Dial said. “This affects every family in Alabama, and we need law enforcement agencies, schools, churches, and private companies to come together to rid this scourge from our state.”
Legislators tackle opioids
Alabama is at Ground Zero in the opioid overdose crisis — last year the state had the highest national number of opioid prescriptions, more than the state’s total population, according to a report by insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield. Which is why State Senators — Lineville-Republican Gerald Dial, Springville-Republican Jim McClendon, and Scottsboro-Republican Steve Livingston — along with representatives from Kaleo Inc., will hold a press conference on Thursday at the State Capitol in Montgomery to announce phase two of a statewide effort to combat the opioid crisis in Alabama. There, state leaders and members of the media will be briefed on the success of phase one, and announce the beginning of a supplemental grant of EVZIO® devices. “Opioid abuse continues to be one of the most critical issues our society faces — over 49,000 Americans died last year from opioid overdoses,” Dial said. “This affects every family in Alabama, and we need law enforcement agencies, schools, churches, and private companies to come together to rid this scourge from our state.” In May, Kaleo Inc. donated of 872 boxes, which each hold two devices, to carry in state volunteer rescue vehicles. The device called Evzio auto-injects the life-saving drug naloxone and contains a voice recording that talks an untrained non-medical professional through administering it.
Steve Marshall urges Congress to close deadly fentanyl loophole
Fentanyl has caused fatal overdoses across the United States. Sometimes added to heroin or cocaine without the user knowing, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine, and can kill those who come in contact with even minuscule amounts of it. Many in law enforcement and the health care industry believe it is drug catalyst of the national opioid epidemic. Which is exactly why Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is trying to do his best to stop its trafficking and distribution. Marshall, as part of a bipartisan group of 52 state and territory attorneys general, called on Congress on Thursday to help end the opioid epidemic and close a loophole that allows those who traffic deadly fentanyl to stay a step ahead of law enforcement by developing new drug analogues that are somewhat different in composition. “We know that illicit drug manufacturers are devious in changing the makeup of a drug just enough that it no longer falls under its classification as a controlled substance. Alabama has already strengthened its laws to deal with this problem, and we must ensure that our federal laws do not permit deadly criminal activity by way of a loophole,” said Marshall. The attorneys general sent a letter to Congress in support of S.1553 and H.R.4922, the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act. Fentanyl is currently a Schedule II controlled substance and when used as prescribed by a doctor, can be a safe painkiller. However outside of careful supervision, fentanyl and analogues manufactured illicitly can be lethal. The SOFA Act, if passed by the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, would eliminate the current loophole which keeps the controlled substance scheduling system one step behind those who manufacture fentanyl analogue and then introduce these powders into the opioid supply chain. The SOFA Act utilizes catch-all language which will allow the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to proactively schedule all newly-modified fentanyl analogues. In addition to Alabama, the other attorneys general who signed the letter were: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Two Alabama Congressional Districts rank among highest opioid prescription rates in U.S.
According to a recent study conducted by Harvard University, two Alabama Congressional Districts rank among the top five districts with the highest opioid prescription rates in the U.S. Alabama’s 4th Congressional District has the highest prescription rate in the country. Whereas Alabama’s 1st Congressional District has the 5th highest rate. In the 4th District, an astounding 166 prescriptions were written per 100 people. According to the study, that’s more than two times the national average. Meanwhile in the 1st District, 131 were written per 100 residents. “It is deeply saddening to learn that the 4th Congressional District has such a high opioid prescription rate. I think this crisis, particularly in rural America, corresponds directly to President Trump’s popularity in my district,” said U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt who represents the 4th Congressional District. “People here have felt left behind and have seen their jobs and opportunities disappear. Due to the epidemic of depression, some people have turned to prescription drugs to dull the pain. However, I believe that President Trump’s renewed focus on these areas and increasing jobs has resonated here strongly.” “My colleagues in Congress and I have been working toward that end,” added Aderholt. “In the FY18 funding bill signed into law in March, Congress included $4 billion to directly combat the opioid crisis. This is the largest amount of money ever to address prevention, treatment, and enforcement issues. $130 million was set aside for the Rural Communities Opioid Response program, to reach rural communities that have been hit especially hard by the opioid crisis. And another billion in grants to states and Indian tribes to be used at the local level to target this epidemic. We are currently working on the funding for FY19 and I am confident that we will continue strong funding for these programs. Congressional Districts with highest opioid prescription rates, 2016:
Bradley Byrne: Fighting the opioid epidemic
For too long, a problem of epic proportion has been growing outside of the headlines in the United States: the opioid epidemic. The reality is that we can no longer wait to take action. Drug overdose is now a leading cause of death in the United States. One hundred seventy-five Americans are dying every day from this crisis. From big cities to small towns, the opioid epidemic has hit our communities hard. Unfortunately, Alabama has not been spared. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alabama ranks highest in the nation as having more opioid prescriptions than people. Alabama also ranks number one as the highest prescribing state in the nation for opioid pain reliever prescriptions. These statistics are incredibly alarming. An opioid is a type of narcotic derived from the opium poppy, which includes drugs such as morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone. While these drugs are often prescribed in response to injuries and body pains, they can be prone to abuse and addiction. The reality is many of the people who become addicted to opioids first start taking the drugs legally after receiving a prescription from a doctor. For example, I have heard testimony from athletes who suffer a sports-related injury, undergo surgery, and then become addicted to opioids during the recovery process. In many cases, this addiction can escalate, driving individuals to street drugs like heroin. Almost all of us have a loved one or know somebody who has been affected by this terrible epidemic. The personal stories are what make this nightmare a harsh reality. Right here in Southwest Alabama, I have heard far too many stories about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The impacts of this crisis reach far beyond the person suffering from addiction to parents, to children, to brothers and sisters. So many have been hurt. On October 26, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would declare the opioid crisis a Nationwide Public Health Emergency. On a strongly bipartisan basis alongside President Trump, Congress is also responding. In March, the House voted to set aside $4 million toward combating the opioid crisis in the government funding bill for Fiscal Year 2018. We kept up the momentum last week when the House passed over 25 targeted bills to help prevent and treat opioid addiction and abuse while also ensuring our nation’s drug laws are working to stop the flow of illegal drugs. One such bill that passed the House is the THRIVE Act, which creates a program to provide low-income individuals recovering from opioid and other substance use disorders with a clean, safe, and structured environment following rehabilitation. Additionally, the House passed the STOP Act, which aims to halt opioids like fentanyl from coming into America from other countries through a loophole at the Postal Service. The majority of opioids arrive to America through the mail from other nations, such as China, Mexico and Canada. So, this legislation represents an important step to help solve the problem. It is clear that our work to end the opioid epidemic is far from over. However, I was pleased to see such strong bipartisan support for many opioid bills this week as we work to make a real difference on behalf of the American people. You can learn more about the legislation we are working on at www.opioidcrisis.gop. We cannot and will not sit back and allow the opioid crisis to take the lives of the people we love. We must fight back and ensure Americans get the help they need. I look forward to continuing the work with President Trump to end this epidemic once and for all. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Martha Roby: Combating the opioid crisis at home and across the country
There are countless important issues currently facing our state and nation. From our ongoing conversations with North Korea to the continuing need for enhanced security at the southern border, there’s no shortage of priorities that warrant discussion. Unfortunately, there is one very serious issue that continues to make headlines: the horrific opioid epidemic that is gripping our state and the entire country. I’m sure most of us know someone whose life has been affected by opioid abuse. Whether it’s prescription pain relievers or synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the crisis has only gotten worse. 64,070 people died from overdoses in our country in 2016, and 756 of those individuals were Alabamians. Now, in 2018, the problem has not improved. Did you know that 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioid drugs every single day? Just this year alone, it is estimated that more than 2 million Americans will suffer from opioid addiction. I’m pleased that last October, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. This epidemic has been wreaking havoc on communities and families across our country for far too long. While the statistics are certainly shocking, this is about so much more than numbers. Hundreds of thousands of real American people with lives, careers, and families have lost the battle with opioid drug abuse. That’s why the House has made combating this crisis a top priority over the last several years. You may remember that back in 2016, Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act. Earlier this year, we provided $4 billion in government funding specifically to address the opioid crisis. Building upon this work, the House recently passed dozens of meaningful bills to further combat the opioid epidemic, and I’d like to share the four ways we are using this legislation to help fight this serious issue. First, with the recently passed legislation, the House is focusing on treatment and recovery. Our bills improve and expand access to treatment and recovery services, provide incentives for enhanced care, and establish comprehensive opioid recovery centers. Hundreds of thousands of Americans from all walks of life are currently trapped by addiction, and it is imperative that we provide the resources to treat their addiction and help them recover. Second, we’re aiming for prevention. Opioids are an important part of modern day medical care for pain treatment, but they are prescribed entirely too often – and at alarming rates. Our legislation addresses these high prescribing rates while enhancing prescription drug monitoring programs. We have the technology, and it’s past time we used it to more effectively address this crisis. Our legislation also encourages non-addictive opioid alternatives, when practical, to treat pain, and improves the data that allows us to identify and help at-risk patients before the problem becomes dangerously serious. Third, we’re making efforts to better protect communities of all sizes throughout the country by giving law enforcement the tools necessary to remove dangerous drugs. Our bills also enable us to better intercept illicit opioids at international mail facilities and improve access to federal resources for local communities. Last but certainly not least, we’re fighting fentanyl. The legislation we passed in the House allows us to better tackle these ever-changing synthetic drugs, crack down on foreign shipments of illicit drugs, and provide grants for communities to combat fentanyl that is destroying lives as we speak. I am proud of the efforts we’ve made in the House recently to press forward in our fight against this horrible crisis gripping our state and nation, but our work is far from complete. We owe it to the more than 40,000 Americans who die every year – and their families – to push on until strong progress is made. You can read more about our work to combat the opioid epidemic by visiting www.opioidcrisis.gop. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
Hill panel probing opioids abuse targets distributor firms
Congressional investigators say wholesale pharmaceutical distributors shipped hundreds of millions of prescription opioid pills to West Virginia, a state disproportionately ravaged by deaths caused by the addictive drugs. Now, lawmakers want executives of those companies to explain how that happened. Current and former officials from five distributor companies are set to give sworn testimony on the subject Tuesday to a House subcommittee. Their appearances come during an election-year push by Congress to pass largely modest legislation aimed at curbing a growing epidemic that saw nearly 64,000 people die last year from drug overdoses, with two-thirds of those deaths involving opioids. The House Energy and Commerce Committee began investigating the distribution of prescription opioids last May. The panel has said distributors sent more than 780 million pills of hydrocodone and oxycodone — prescription pain-killers that have caused many overdose deaths — to West Virginia from 2007 to 2012. That’s an average of more than 400 pills per person over that period in the state, where around 1.8 million people live. Investigators said 20.8 million opioid pills were shipped from 2006 to 2016 to Williamson, population 2,900. One pharmacy in Kermit, with around 400 residents, ranked 22nd in the U.S. in the number of hydrocodone pills it received in 2006, according to the investigation. West Virginia had the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate of 52 per 100,000 in 2016, according to federal figures. Other states with high death rates included Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, as well as Washington, D.C. Nearly 12 million people misused opioids in 2016, according to federal figures. Executives slated to testify included top officials from Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and McKesson Corp., the nation’s three biggest wholesale drug distributors. The executives were appearing before the Energy and Commerce committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee. The government requires distributors of controlled substances to report suspicious drug orders to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and to deny questionable transactions. The Trump administration and lawmakers of both parties have been drawing attention to opioids, a range of pain-killing drugs that can be addictive when misused. They include prescription drugs like hydrocodone, oxycodone and codeine, synthetic opioids like fentanyl that can be made illegally, and illegal drugs like heroin. The Energy and Commerce panel has been working on dozens of bills that include encouraging doctors to use non-addictive pain killers, spurring research on such products, broadening access to treatment and giving financial incentives for drug treatment specialists to work in underserved areas. Senate committees are working on their own legislation. The setting was reminiscent of 1994 hearings at which executives of the nation’s tobacco companies testified before the Energy and Commerce panel, then controlled by Democrats. The officials said they didn’t believe cigarettes were addictive, despite evidence to the contrary. Four years later, the industry reached a settlement to pay the states more than $200 billion over 25 years to reimburse them for tobacco-related health care costs. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
