Ayotte Statement on CDC Report Showing High Rate of NH Opioid Prescriptions

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today renewed her call for swift action to address New Hampshire's opioid abuse crisis following the release of a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that ranked the state as third-highest in the nation for per-capita prescriptions of prescription opioids that have a high potential for abuse and addiction. The report also cited a "lack of consensus among health-care providers on whether and how to use [opioid pain relievers] for chronic, non-cancer pain" as a possible factor in the wide variation in prescribing practices found in the study. Ayotte introduced bipartisan legislation last month that would establish an interagency task force to develop widely-recognized best prescribing practices for pain medication and authorize an important prescription drug monitoring program.

"The CDC report underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy on prescribing practices and pain management, particularly given the association between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use," said Ayotte. "The bipartisan legislation I recently introduced would establish an interagency task force to develop suggested guidelines to reduce the potential for prescription opioid abuse while helping ensure legitimate pain management. It would also help boost states' abilities to implement and enhance prescription drug monitoring programs -- important tools to prevent so-called "doctor shopping' and to enable law enforcement to go after individuals who forge scripts or falsify records in order to sell controlled substances."

The "Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force" proposed in Ayotte's bill would be comprised of prescribers, pharmacists, officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Veterans Affairs Department, as well as treatment providers and representatives from pain advocacy groups and pain professional organizations, in addition to experts in the field of pain research and addiction research.

The task force would be responsible for developing best practices in the prescribing of pain medication and related pain management, and then producing a strategy for disseminating information about best practices to prescribers, pharmacists, and state medical boards. Additionally, the task force would be required to submit a report on the pros and cons of linking the use of best prescribing practices to the renewal of licenses for prescribers and dispensers of controlled substances. The task force would take into account public comment when developing the best practices but will not have rulemaking authority.

The Ayotte bill would also authorize the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program -- a competitive grant program that helps states support their Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. The program was created to assist law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and public health officials in analyzing data related to prescriptions for controlled substances. While Congress has previously funded the program, it has never been authorized.

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