HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 128

(By Delegates Eldridge, Perdue, B. White, Kessinger, Folk,

                     Rohrbach, Ellington, Rodighiero, Marcum, H. White and R. Phillips)

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study the need for the health insurance policies to provide adequate coverage to encourage adoption of abuse deterrent formulation technologies for opiods in order to assist in the state's continuing efforts to eliminate prescription drug abuse.

            Whereas, In 2013, seventy-one percent of the 22,761 in the United States relating to pharmaceutical overdoses involved opioid analgesics; and

            Whereas, The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report issued in July 2014 ranked West Virginia third in the country for the number of opioids prescribed per 100 persons; and

            Whereas, The FDA "considers the development of abuse-deterrent formulations to be a public health priority and is encouraging their development"; and

            Whereas, The introduction of abuse-deterrent formulation technologies into the pain medication arena is of great potential significance to West Virginia as a method to ensure continued access to these important medicines and to the general interests of the state as part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the growing prescription drug abuse problems now; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study the need for the health insurance policies to provide adequate coverage to encourage adoption of abuse deterrent formulation technologies for opiods in order to assist in the state's continuing efforts to eliminate prescription drug abuse; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2016, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.