Opioid Labeling Bill Drawing Fire from Chronic Pain Advocates

Opioid Labeling Bill Drawing Fire from Chronic Pain Advocates

www.nationalpainreport.com/opioid-labeling-bill-drawing-fire-from-chronic-pain-advocates-8840456.html

A bill introduced by West Virginia Democratic Senator and Indiana Republican Senator is drawing fire from chronic pain patient advocates.

The bill they call The FDA Opioid Labeling Accuracy Act would “prohibit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from allowing opioids to be labeled for intended use of ‘around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment’ until a study can be completed on the long-term use of opioids.”

Jeffrey Singer writing for the Libertarian Cato Institute said, “Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Braun (R-IN) are still trying to address the fentanyl and heroin overdose crisis—soon to be joined by a methamphetamine and cocaine overdose crisis—by denying chronic pain patients access to pain relief.

Meanwhile, he continued, “they should take a look at the government’s own numbers. The data show there is no correlation between the number of prescriptions written and the incidence of non-medical use of prescription opioids or prescription pain reliever use disorder. And less than 10 percent of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2017 involved prescription pain relievers unaccompanied by other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, alcohol, or fentanyl.”

Richard “Red” Lawhern Ph.D. left Senator Manchin’s office an email that in part said.

“Get your head out of a very dark place and withdraw the bill which would deny effective pain relief to patients already in agony. You are trying to ‘solve’ the wrong ‘crisis’ by restricting availability of the only class of therapy that works for the majority of those who suffer severe pain. And you are doing so despite conclusive proof that physicians prescribing to their patients did not cause and are not now sustaining our public health crisis.”

Manchin said in a press release: “I have introduced this bill today with Senator Braun to address how the FDA approves opioid prescriptions for treating different types of pain. Addressing the opioid epidemic has always been my top priority and I will continue to fight for legislation that helps West Virginians and our country fight this epidemic and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass.”

Read Jeffrey Singer’s entire blog on Cato Institute.

According to Senator Manchin, “The FDA Opioid Labeling Accuracy Act would prohibit opioids from being labeled for intended use to treat long-term chronic pain, except for cancer pain, end-of-life care or when a prescriber has determined that all non-opioid treatments are inadequate or inappropriate.”

Here’s the text of the bill.

6 Responses

  1. All of these sites I’m on it’s always “preach” “don’t call names,don’t insult them,treat them with respect blah blah blah” and then I read stuff like this. These people aren’t doing this for nothing less than a vote! They have no clue on what a “crisis” is. All they know is the word opioid!
    And that’s it. they hear that word,think they could get their name on TV ,the snowflakes hear him and he hopes they will vote for him..
    Why do these numbskulls get to write law on medicine,when they have no experience in the medical field? It’s like the other moron out west testifying as an “expert witness” I have more experience on pain then he does,yet he’s an expert! But I must be polite….Bunch of AHOLES running the train and they will kill us!

  2. Contact Senator Manchin
    West Virginia office at 304-342-5855
    Washington, D.C. office at 202-224-3954.
    Email contact page; https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe/email-joe

  3. Call Senator Mike Braun
    Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 224-4814
    Indianapolis, (317) 822-8240
    Fort Wayne, (260) 427-2167
    Hammond, (219) 937-9650
    South Bend, (574) 288-6302
    Email Contact; https://www.braun.senate.gov/contact-mike

  4. Contact Senator Manchin
    West Virginia office at 304-342-5855
    Washington, D.C. office at 202-224-3954.
    Email contact page; https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe/email-joe

    Call Senator Mike Braun
    Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 224-4814
    Indianapolis, (317) 822-8240
    Fort Wayne, (260) 427-2167
    Hammond, (219) 937-9650
    South Bend, (574) 288-6302
    Email Contact; https://www.braun.senate.gov/contact-mike

  5. The Senator could not be making less sense. These folks will hear from me that is for sure. Call 202-224-3954 for Senator Manchin; 202-224-4814 for Senator Braun.
    Email contact page for Manchin;
    https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe/the-opioid-crisis

  6. Again ,,,there both violating the Constitution of The United States,,ie,,The government shall NEVER interfere with the practice of medicine,,,maryw

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