~ Herring joins bipartisan coalition seeking a progress report regarding recent steps the FDA has taken to combat the opioid crisis ~

RICHMOND (January 11, 2021) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring has joined a bipartisan coalition of 48 attorneys general in pushing federal regulators to examine recent progress in their fight against opioid abuse. Attorney General Herring and his colleagues are seeking a progress report regarding recent steps taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat the opioid crisis, given the new authorities Congress granted the agency in 2018. In their letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, the attorneys general contend the requested information will help reduce prescription opioid abuse and accidental deaths.

“Combating the opioid crisis in Virginia has been a top priority for me, but unfortunately the families and communities across the Commonwealth continue to feel the devastating impacts,” said Attorney General Herring. “Fighting the opioid epidemic has taken, and will continue to take, a comprehensive effort between local and state partners, as well as federal partners like the Food and Drug Administration. I look forward to learning more about how the FDA is using their new authority to help prevent further prescription opioid abuse and keep Virginians and their families safe.”

The coalition’s letter seeks clarification of how the FDA is using and plans to use powers granted under the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Those provisions include safer opioid packaging and disposal features, research and issuance of new regulations on non-addictive alternatives to opioids and guidelines for opioid prescribing.

As Attorney General Herring and his colleagues write in their letter, “we have witnessed first-hand the devastation that the opioid epidemic has wrought on states in terms of lives lost and the costs it has imposed on our healthcare system and the broader economy. As the chief legal officers to our states, we are committed to using all tools at our disposal to combat this epidemic and to protect patients suffering from chronic pain or addiction, who are among the most vulnerable consumers in our society.”

Attorney General Herring and his colleagues believe the FDA plays a critical role in ensuring both the safety and efficacy of opioids and encouraging non-addictive, non-opioid alternatives for treating pain.

Joining Attorney General Herring in sending today’s letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

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