WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07), member of the Congressional Combat Heroin Taskforce, today hailed passage of a major legislative package that will address the drug abuse problem facing the United States. Lance’s own measure, H.R. 4976, the Opioid Review Modernization Act, won unanimous approval on the House Floor. 

“This bill and the larger package are a great step forward in the fight against the scourge of drug addiction,” Lance said during debate.

Lance specifically targeted the contribution of prescription drugs to the abuse epidemic.

“H.R. 4976 targets opioid addiction’s strong ties to prescription drug abuse and the issue of over- prescription. Studies have shown health care providers write nearly 300 million opioid prescriptions a year in this country. That number is truly staggering.”

Lance’s bill will make sure the Food and Drug Administration rigorously reviews the benefits and risks of opioid pain medications and how they are communicated to prescribers and patients.

The bill also reforms critical product approval and labeling decisions and encourages the development and approval of opioids with abuse-deterrent properties. The House-passed measure will be merged with 17 other bills the House is expected to pass this week. That package will be conferenced with measures passed in U.S. Senate and sent to the President for his signature.