A newly introduced bill, Using Data to Prevent Opioid Diversion Act, aims to provide drug manufacturers and distributors with data to identify pharmacies that are suspiciously ordering prescription opioids.
The bill would also grant law enforcement the authority to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable if they fail to use this data to identify, report and stop suspicious orders of prescription opioids.
“In West Virginia, we’ve seen so many instances where far too many prescription opioids are flowing into small communities,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “While there were red flags, having this additional data readily available will help ensure the warning signs never again go unnoticed.”
Capito, along with U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the bill Wednesday.
Between 2007 and 2012, 780 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills were distributed to pharmacies throughout West Virginia. During this same timeframe, these two drugs contributed to 1,700 drug overdose deaths in the state.
The release said although opioid manufacturers and distributors are required to report the sale, delivery, or other disposal of narcotics to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) through the Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS), the DEA is not required to disclose to opioid manufacturers and distributors the total number of distributors serving a single pharmacy or practitioner, or the total quantity and type of opioids being distributed.
The senators said this means that the DEA knows how many total pills are being shipped to each pharmacy or practitioner, but manufacturers and distributors do not have access to the same information, which creates a barrier to identifying and stopping potentially suspicious orders if pharmacies are ordering from multiple manufacturers or distributors.
The Using Data to Prevent Opioid Diversion Act of 2018 aims to remove this barrier by requiring DEA to provide drug manufacturers and distributors with full visibility into the number of manufacturers and distributors serving each pharmacy and practitioner, as well as the total quantity and type of opioids being delivered to each. The bill also empowers law enforcement to hold companies shipping opioids to pharmacies accountable if they don’t report and stop filling orders when suspicious ordering patterns are evident.