ATLANTA, Ga. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was part of the West Virginia delegation to speak at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday, to share with others how the issue affects the Mountain State.
“We have the highest mortality rate per 100,000. We’re about 29 people per 100,000 that are dying from overdoses,” Manchin said. “Ninety percent of the overdoses are really coming from prescription drugs. That means drugs in your cabinet, in your medicine cabinet at home.”
According to its website, the summit is “the largest national collaboration of professionals from local, state and federal agencies, business, academia, clinicians, treatment providers, counselors, educators, state and national leaders, and advocates impacted by Rx drug abuse.”
While participating in a forum involving members of Congress –which included fellow West Virginian, Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins– Manchin announced he would be introducing two pieces of legislation aimed at educating the public, assisting victims and putting more controls in place for the agency responsible for regulations.
In regard to the first proposal, Manchin said a lack of information for the public and medical professionals alike has led to unnecessary hardship.
“People need to know how they control that pain and is there another way to deal with the pain other than get addicted to opiates.”
The Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act would:
-Authorize $15 million per year from 2016-2020 to establish a grant program for states or non-profits to conduct culturally sensitive consumer education about opioid abuse.
-Strengthen training requirements –16 hours every three years– for medical practitioners eligible to prescribe opioids or participating in opioid treatment programs.
-Require states to provide law enforcement officials information from the prescription monitoring program database on any individual who is the subject of an active drug-related investigation.
-Authorize Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan sponsors to establish a drug management program for Medicare beneficiaries deemed at-risk of prescription drug abuse.
Manchin believes that those in charge of regulating the drugs hold a large share of the responsibility, which is why he presented the FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act as a measure the curtail the increasing potency of the drugs.
“They’re so darn powerful that two pills can kill a human being,” Manchin said. “Why would you put that on the market? You put it on market in forms that can be crushed down and melted and heated and extracted and used for different illegal purposes. All of this stuff has to be answered too.”
The goal of the law would be to ensure precautions are taken before a new opiod drug is approved, requiring:
– The medication would be subjected to advisory committee review and recommendation before FDA approval is given.
-The FDA Commissioner would be required to make the final decision regarding drug approval if the Advisory Committee does not approve due to concern over consumer health and safety.
– The FDA would be obligated to submit a report citing medical and scientific evidence with patient safety regarding why they ignored the Advisory Committee’s recommendation to the Chair and Ranking Member of relevant Committees –or any member of Congress that requests it– which would include any conflict of interest.
– The FDA Commissioner would testify before Congress as to why the FDA ignored its own Advisory Committee at the request of the appropriate Committee.
– Distribution of the drug would be prohibited until the report is submitted to Congress.
Manchin said though speakers covered a variety of topics, a reoccurring theme stuck out to him regarding abuse and addiction.
“They didn’t care if you unemployed, uneducated, if you were a Ph.D., if you were a highly-respected professional, if you were a lawyer, if you were a minister or preacher, everybody in every field has been affected and has been addicted and has lost and ruined their own lives and the lives around them.”