TRENTON – The Assembly Health Committee released a bill requiring the state Division of Consumer Affairs to compile and publish a list of certain tamper-resistant opioid drugs, such as Oxycodone and Oxycontin, among others.
Several groups, including the state Pharmaceutical Providers Association and Pharmacists Association and Independent Pharmacy Alliance, opposed the bill, A2590, calling it unnecessary. Another group, the New Jersey Association of Health Plans, said the bill could put generic drugs at a disadvantage, adding that the Federal Drug Administration sometimes provides misleading information on various drugs.
The bill, which is sponsored by Assembly members Herb Conaway and Daniel Benson, had its supporters as well, such as the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies.
The NJAMHAA, in particular, said the bill will help provide another tool to curb prescription drug dependence, which has gone up 400 percent since 1999.
