McCaskill Seeks Drug Pricing Information on Opioid Overdose Reversal Drugs as Prices Skyrocket

Continuing her focus on reversing our nation’s opioid and heroin epidemic, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill this week wrote to five companies regarding recent price increases that have limited the accessibility of the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone.

“At the same time this epidemic is killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, we’re seeing the price of Naloxone go up by 1000 percent or more,” McCaskill said. “Maybe there’s a great reason for the price increases, but given the heart-breaking gravity of this epidemic and the need for this drug, I think we have to demand some answers.”

McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Senate Special Committee on Aging—which has held a series of hearings discussing ways to combat opioid abuse—teamed up with Republican Chairman Susan Collins to ask drug manufacturers for an explanation on recent price increases and what steps are being taken to ensure the availability of Naloxone.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 27,000 overdose deaths involving prescription opioid medications, heroin, or both in 2014,” the Senators wrote.  “This troubling statistic might have been even higher if not for the use of Naloxone, a critically important drug that has been used to reverse opioid overdoses for the last 45 years…Naloxone alone will not solve our addiction crisis, but remains critical during emergencies.”

A recent Politico article noted that the price of at least one version of Naloxone reportedly rose 17-fold in the last two years. In addition, a Healthline article indicated that hospitals have reported difficulty obtaining sufficient quantities of the drug.

The five companies the Senators have requested information from include: Amphaster Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; Adapt Pharmaceuticals; Kaléo Pharma; and Mylan Inc..

McCaskill last year traveled to Jefferson City, Mo. to hold a field hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and highlight the national epidemic of increased opioid addiction, abuse, and overdose deaths.

Opinion -- More than Ever, We Need Each Other

by Dr. Gary Welton

My heart aches over the stories I hear about heroin overdoses. Local fathers post stories about their sons and daughters, fatal victims of the heroin market. Police conduct raids. The illegal marketing demand continues to fund Afghanistan poppy farmers. Other illegal drug markets cause societal issues, as meth labs contaminate homes and acreage. A house in my neighborhood is selling for half its former market value because of meth lab damage. More than ever, we live in a drug culture.

When I google “heroin,” however, my top hit is an article by the National Institute of Drug Abuse indicating that nearly half of young people who inject heroin reported abusing prescription opioids before starting to use heroin. As bad as our illegal drug market has become, the potential for the abuse of prescription drugs is a much more pervasive problem throughout America today.
This conversation is frequently fueled by stories about yet another superstar and his/her battles with prescription drugs, the most recent being that of Prince. I am not sufficiently familiar with his pain and challenges to comment on his possible addictions, but I am saddened at his plight and that of millions of Americans who deal with chronic pain.

Whether the pain is associated with migraines, cancer, cancer treatment, performance anxiety, or one of a hundred other issues, I am certain that someone among your friends and family needs the treatment by and benefits from prescription pain medication, in spite of the risks of addiction.
Responsible physicians are careful and cautious about prescribing opiates; sometimes they are too cautious. Individuals suffering from terminal cancer need the assistance; their risk of addiction pales in comparison to their current need. Individuals in hospice care often need the assistance; the short-term benefit overwhelms the challenges of the pending passing. In many applications, however, it is essential for physicians and users to balance the risks and benefits. The opiates are needed, yet they provide challenges associated with possible abuse and addiction. What is the answer?

More than ever, we need each other. I need you to help me make wise choices about the use and possible abuse of the opiates. I need an accountability partner, who will help me monitor my potential for abuse and addiction. I need to draw on your strength and wisdom; we need to make this a team effort.

We need accountability partners in many areas of our lives. When yet additional stories broke this winter about Johnny Manziel and his immature and illegal antics, threatening his NFL career, one of the CBS sport commentators asked where his family and friends were. Where are the mature adults in his life telling him, “Johnny, you can’t act that way. Cut it out.” Johnny needed an accountability partner.

Although we often hear of the rich and famous and their immature self-destruction, all of us are at risk, and especially so when it comes to prescribed opiates. Recognize the risks and ask your family and friends for help and monitoring. The risks will be greatly reduced when we have an accountability partner. More than ever, we need each other.

-- Dr. Gary L. Welton is assistant dean for institutional assessment, professor of psychology at Grove City College, and a contributor to The Center for Vision & Values. He is a recipient of a major research grant from the Templeton Foundation to investigate positive youth development.

Missouri PDMP NOW Coalition Applauds Sen. Sater and Rep. Engler for Sponsoring Bills To Combat Prescription Drug Abuse

The Missouri PDMP NOW Coalition applauds Sen. David Sater and Rep. Kevin Engler for introducing legislation to establish a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). The coalition also encourages lawmakers to pass these critical bills during the 2013 session.

The Missouri PDMP NOW Coalition is a bipartisan, broad-based coalition comprised of 30 organizations that have come together to support passage of PDMP legislation. Forty-nine other states have passed PDMP legislation. Missouri is the only state in the country that has not passed a PDMP bill.

A PDMP is a secure electronic database that lets doctors and pharmacists track prescription drug data and helps prevent drug abusers and traffickers from accessing prescription medications. PDMP data are treated as private health information and only track certain types of controlled substances dispensed within a state. It can act as an early warning system for prescribers to avoid doctor shopping, prevent dangerous drug interactions and ensure quality patient care.

"We find that many of the youth who have had issues with opioid abuse started with prescription painkillers. It is time for Missouri to take action and address this critical issue facing our families and our communities," said Dan Duncan, executive director of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse-St. Louis Chapter, a coalition member.  "This legislation protects patient privacy and helps to ensure that only legitimate patients get the prescription drugs they need." The coalition strongly supports proposed legislation filed by Sen. Sater and Rep. Engler.  These bills address the concerns of healthcare providers, patients, law enforcement, abuse prevention/treatment community, businesses and citizens.  With 49 other states having already passed PDMP legislation, Missouri can use the best provisions of other states when implementing its PDMP.  Missouri's PDMP will be designed to ensure confidentiality of information, support best use of clinical practice guidelines and
 enable real-time reporting of prescription data.

"PDMPs are critical to patient safety," said Dr. Bob Twillman of the American Academy of Pain Management and a coalition member.  "Patients occasionally fail to disclose every medication they are taking, either because they can't remember or intentionally fail to disclose the information," said Twillman. "Sometimes, those medications, when combined with new prescriptions, can make a deadly combination. Having a PDMP allows healthcare providers to check for this and avoid unintentionally prescribing problematic combinations of medications."

"A PDMP helps to reduce abuse and saves lives," said Kent Oberkrom, president of the Missouri Sheriffs' Association and a coalition member. "It will help control the growth of prescription drug abuse  a problem that the Missouri law enforcement community deals with daily. A PDMP would also give us a tool to identify pill mills  facilities that illegally prescribe opioid pain medications."