Upcoming FDA Event on Fatal Overdoses to Guide Product Development and Public Interventions
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced an upcoming public workshop, “Understanding Fatal Overdoses to Inform Product Development and Public Health Interventions to Manage Overdoses.” The virtual event will take place from March 8-9, 2023 and will be open to all stakeholders, including users, their families, harm reduction programs, clinicians, researchers, and federal partners. The convening aims to support the development of products and approaches to treat overdoses and fatalities. Additional topics will include epidemiological trends, drug supply changes, drug development, and public health interventions. FDA is hosting the workshop in collaboration with the Reagan-Udall Foundation. Those interested in attending may register here.
Articles & Resources
FDA – February 15, 2023: Joint Meeting of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee Meeting Announcement
Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Address Illegal Online Opioid Sales, Fentanyl Trafficking
Last week, lawmakers introduced several bills to address the opioid epidemic, including bills that aim to track illegal online sales of opioids and address fentanyl trafficking by updating drug interdiction guidance. On January 30th, Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and John Cornyn (TX) introduced the See Something, Say Something Online Act. The bill targets the increase in illegal sales of opioids by amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to require social media companies to report all suspicious activity on their online platforms to law enforcement. The bill would also authorize the creation of an office within the Department of Justice to review the reports, and would require that companies take steps to prevent illegal opioid sales and be held liable if illegal activity is not reported.
On February 1st, Senators Rick Scott (TX), Mike Braun (IN), Maggie Hassan (NH), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Dianne Feinstein (CA) introduced the Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act. The bill would require that the Commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) update the agency’s drug interdiction guidance – last updated twenty years ago – once every three years. The bill would also require that the CBP Commissioner develop a report outlining the changes and submit the report to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Committee on Homeland Security.
Articles & Resources
See Something, Say Something Online Act
What We Read Last Week
Several articles were published last week pertaining to the opioid epidemic, covering a variety of different components of the topic. Links to relevant articles are provided below.
Congressman David Trone – Ahead of State of the Union, Trone Spearheads Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Urging Biden to Reinstate Director of ONDCP to Cabinet-level Position
FDA – Food and Drug Administration Overdose Prevention Framework
FDA – From Our Perspective | CDER’s Continued Efforts to Widen Naloxone Access
Health Law Blog – Breaking Down Barriers: Expanded Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
Kaiser Health News – Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care
Kentucky.gov – Attorney General Cameron Launches ‘Operation Fight Fentanyl’ Initiative to Combat Opioid Epidemic
Los Angeles Times – L.A. students will be able to carry Narcan in schools under updated policy
NC Health News – Policy change removes one barrier to prescribing buprenorphine
New York State – New York State Department of Health Issues Commissioner Determination for the Use of Telemedicine to Ensure Continued Access to Life saving Medication for New Yorkers Struggling with Mental Health and Opioid Use Disorder
News Nation – Experts urge broader access to opioid reversal drugs
Representative Randy Feenstra – Rural America Deserves Real Solution to the Opioid Epidemic
Senator Maggie Hassan – ICYMI: Senator Hassan Op-Ed on Her New Law Expanding Access to Critical Opioid Treatment
STAT – Venture capital is investing little in new treatment for addiction, report finds
The Commonwealth Fund – Building Comprehensive Responses to the Opioid Crisis
The Daily Reporter – Health officials seek more widespread access to opioid rescue-drug
The Hill – 3 actionable bipartisan solutions to address the overdose crisis
This Week’s Calendar
In the week ahead, there are no relevant events or hearings noticed at this time. In the event that there are any changes to the schedule for this week, we will make additional information available.
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