Keating Commends Drug Enforcement Administration for Hydrocodone Rule

Press Release

Today, Rep. Keating issued a statement commending the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on its recent decision to increase restrictions on prescription painkillers. Keating, who is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, has long fought for greater restrictions on prescription painkillers, introducing the Stop Tampering of Prescription Pills (STOPP) Act in January 2013.

Under the DEA's newly-published Final Rule, hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) have been moved from the Schedule III class of prescription drugs to the more restrictive Schedule II, as recommended by the Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) and as supported by the DEA's own evaluation of relevant data. As members of this more restrictive category, hydrocodone drugs will not be eligible for prescription refills, and doctors will no longer be able to remotely call in prescriptions for these medications. Additionally, pharmacies will have to store their supply of hydrocodone medications in special vaults. This rule, which will go into effect 45 days following the DEA's issuance of its final ruling, represents a substantial change to the way prescription hydrocodone drugs will be handled.

"I commend the Drug Enforcement Administration for its decision to further restrict the availability and distribution of products containing hydrocodone. Currently hydrocodone, despite its proclivity toward abuse, is the most frequently prescribed opioid in the United States, with nearly 137 million prescriptions dispensed in 2013. For this reason, it is important to understand that today's decision will save lives," said Rep. Keating. "Yet, it is also important to note that the process to place hydrocodone products in Schedule II began back in 1999, and this decision does not cover pure hydrocodone products, like Zohydro. Seven million Americans abuse prescription medications today and thousands have died since 1999. I urge our nation to continue to work on a multi-pronged approach to battle drug addiction and urge the Food & Drug Administration to prioritize the use of abuse deterrent formulations for prescription painkillers. We cannot wait another fifteen years for the existing safety measures that will help save lives today."

The STOPP Act, Rep. Keating's proposed legislation, is currently being reviewed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is the first federal legislation that directs pharmaceutical manufacturers to invest in research and production to formulate abuse deterrent drugs in order to compete with drugs of a similar nature that already employ abuse deterrent technologies.

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