Senate HELP Committee Advances Opioid Crisis Bill

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously advanced the Opioid Crisis Response Act (S. 2680) Tuesday but voted down an amendment to impose tough penalties on drugmakers.

The bipartisan legislation includes measures to stem the addiction crisis such as clarifying the FDA’s authority to limit the size of the packs drugmakers may use to prescribe painkillers and boost research into non-addictive alternative pain treatments. It would also increase FDA and Customs and Border Protection coordination to improve detection and seizure of illegal drugs and support states in improving their prescription drug monitoring programs.

The committee approved several amendments to the bill, including one from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) clarifying reporting requirements to ensure that treatment for addiction and mental health care is reimbursed similarly to traditional medical care.