Davis’ bill ending ‘pharmacy shopping’ included in House committee’s anti-opioid package

New bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) is among a package of 12 bills that Congress could consider to further the nation’s efforts in fighting the opioid crisis, according to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Rodney Davis is a serious legislator, committed to supporting communities in southern Illinois fight back; his legislation will help those on the front lines — because better prescription drug monitoring data will help track down bad actors and stop pharmacy shopping,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Rep. Davis on Oct. 23 sponsored the Opioid Prescription Verification Act, H.R. 4810, with U.S. Reps. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), John Shimkus (R-IL), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) to facilitate responsible, informed dispensing of controlled substances and other prescribed medications, according to the congressional record bill summary.

H.R. 4810 will be part of a larger package of bipartisan bills that Republicans will push to build on last year’s Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6, which became law in October 2018 to address the nation’s opioid epidemic.

H.R. 4810 would require pharmacists to check the identification of the person picking up an opioid prescription and enter his or her information into the state’s prescription drug monitoring program in efforts to end pharmacy shopping, which involves drug dealers seeking out pharmacies to fill opioid prescriptions prescribed to someone else, according to the congressman’s office.

“I continue to meet and have conversations with law enforcement, first responders, and our medical community in the district to make sure those on the ground have the resources they need to address opioid abuse in their communities and if not, what more we can do,” Rep. Davis said, noting that H.R. 4810 “came from these efforts and aims to address an issue brought to me by police officers in Normal, Ill., to stop pharmacy shopping by helping law enforcement be able to track bad actors.”

The congressman said he’s “looking forward to hopefully passing this bipartisan bill to continue fighting this epidemic.”