Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my support for H.R. 4599, commonsense legislation that offers the potential to reduce the number of unused and unwanted prescription opioids that have been misused or diverted as a part of the opioid epidemic.

The number of prescription opioids dispensed in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled in the last 15 years, and over 70 percent of adults who misuse prescription opioids get them from a friend or a relative. This is often due to the fact that many patients fill legitimate prescriptions for opioids and for one reason or another do not use the entirety of the prescription.

One way to help reduce the amount of unused opioid medications in home medicine cabinets is to permit the partial filling of Schedule II prescriptions. Partial fill policies allow providers, pharmacists, and patients the option to dispense a portion of a prescription with the option of filling the total amount of the prescription at a later time. For example, a patient or practitioner could request that 10 or 15 days of a 30-day prescription be dispensed initially with the remaining portion available later if needed. It is hoped that this additional flexibility would reduce the number of unused pills in circulation and ultimately reduce misuse and diversion of these prescription opioids.

Current Drug Enforcement Administration regulations allow pharmacists to partially fill prescriptions for Schedule III, IV, and V substances, however, Schedule II substances can only be partially filled in long term care settings, for terminally ill patients, or when the full prescription cannot be supplied. While these regulations do not prohibit partially filling prescriptions for Schedule II substances in other situations, the DEA has acknowledged that the regulations may need to be amended to provide clarity as to when partial fill of Schedule II substances is allowable.

The Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2015 was introduced in the House by Representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Steve Stivers (R- OH) to do just that--provide additional clarity regarding when Schedule II prescriptions may be partially filled under the Controlled Substances Act.

In addition to the circumstances outlined in current DEA regulations, H.R. 4599 would also allow partial fill of Schedule II substances if requested by a doctor or patient, as long as the prescription is written and dispensed according to federal and state law. It further makes clear that remaining portions of a partially filled prescription for a Schedule II substance may not be filled later than 30 days after the date the prescription is written.

Partial fills would also be allowed in emergency situations, with the remaining portion to be filled not later than 72 hours after the prescription is issued. This legislation does not impact the ability of Schedule III, IV, or V prescriptions to be partially filled.

H.R. 4599 is the result of careful compromise among the authors of this legislation, the stakeholders, and our Committee members, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source