Tonko, Heinrich Introduce Bill to Remove Barrier to Lifesaving Addiction Treatment

ALBANY, NY - Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) today announced the introduction of legislation that would remove a barrier to accessing addiction treatment and help address America's opioid crisis. The bill, named the Broadening Utilization of Proven and Effective Treatment for Recovery Act or the BUPE for Recovery Act would require the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to temporarily exempt buprenorphine from the Suspicious Orders Report System (SORS) for the remainder of the opioid public health emergency.

"For years, I've worked to address the disease of addiction and secure access to lifesaving treatments for the millions of Americans working to find and follow the path to recovery," Congressman Tonko said. "A lynchpin of my efforts to address the opioid crisis is my MAT Act that eliminates outdated, bureaucratic barriers preventing practitioners from prescribing the proven treatment, buprenorphine, to their patients. Our newest bill, the BUPE for Recovery Act, further strengthens our push to expand accessibility to this lifesaving drug. I thank Senator Heinrich for spearheading this effort with me and urge my colleagues to join us in advancing this legislation as soon as possible."

"New Mexicans know too well the heartache of losing a loved one to opioids. Enough is enough. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackle this epidemic with the urgency it demands, which includes eliminating barriers that providers and patients face in accessing lifesaving medication," said Senator Heinrich. "My legislation aims to change reporting requirements for buprenorphine, ensuring that patients receive timely and effective treatment for opioid use disorder. This will help save lives and help New Mexicans get the care they need."

SORS reporting requirements have led to an uncertainty among pharmacies and distributors to stock and dispense buprenorphine, which can prevent individuals suffering from opioid use disorder from receiving timely and effective treatment. This legislation will mitigate the treatment gap created by stringent SORS reporting requirements, reducing overdose deaths, saving lives, and improving public health outcomes.

Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, RPh, said, "Thank you to Congressman Tonko for his leadership on legislation to correct an issue in the suspicious orders report system as it relates to buprenorphine inclusion in the report. As a practicing pharmacist this inclusion is not necessary and has served as a barrier to pharmacies and patients in accessing substance use disorder treatment. This effort, albeit it temporarily, will make a difference in individuals lives and provides the DEA a process to contemplate this effort long term."

Dr. Colleen Parent, MD, Medical Director of New Choices Recovery Center said, "Buprenorphine is a life-saving medication. By allowing it to be removed from SORS it would alleviate fears that pharmacies have for filling this medication when in fact it is the goal to be prescribing more buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder. If buprenorphine is not filled for patients then the only thing they can do is try to get it illicitly off the street or return to more dangerous substances on the street. Buprenorphine is safe and should be celebrated and readily available at all pharmacies."

The BUPE for Recovery Act is endorsed by the following organizations: the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), American College of Clinical Pharmacists (ACCP), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association (AMA), American Nurses Association, American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW), Faces & Voices of Recovery, Overdose Prevention Initiative at GHAI, International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), Kent Strategic Advisors, LLC, The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH), National Behavioral Health Association of Providers, National Black Harm Reduction Network (NBHRN), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), The Kennedy Forum, The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI), Treatment Communities of America, Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, California Consortium of Addiction Programs & Professionals, Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), and New Mexico American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

The bill would increase access to buprenorphine by:

• Requiring the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to temporarily exempt buprenorphine from the Suspicious Orders Report System (SORS) for the remainder of the opioid public health emergency
• Requiring the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a thorough assessment at the conclusion of the public health emergency to determine whether Buprenorphine needs to be re-included in (SORS) tracking moving forward.

Bill text can be found HERE.

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