WASHINGTON, DC - The House of Representatives today approved H.R. 471, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2015, as part of the committee’s ongoing effort to address the growing problem of prescription drug abuse.
H.R. 471, authored by full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Reps. Tom Marino (R-PA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Judy Chu (D-CA), clarifies key phrases in the Controlled Substances Act to establish clear and consistent enforcement standards and promotes collaboration among government agencies, patients, and industry stakeholders to ensure patients have access to medications.
The bipartisan bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to submit a report to Congress identifying obstacles to legitimate patient access to controlled substances, issues with diversion of controlled substances, and how collaboration between agencies and stakeholders can benefit patients and prevent prescription drug abuse.
“This critical legislation combats inappropriate use of prescription drugs by bringing greater clarity and transparency to the requirements for safe and secure distribution of these medicines…This comprehensive approach to the legislation will result in better protections against diversion and abuse of controlled substances," said Blackburn. “Our legislation is simply to ensure that patients who have a legitimate need for medications can receive them while we are battling diversion and abuse, which truly is a problem in this country."
