To help warn Rhode Islanders about the increasing dangers of fentanyl-laced counterfeit drugs, and how they can access information needed to spot and avoid these lethal substances, U.S. Senator Jack Reed is joining with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare on Tuesday, August 29 at 12 noon at CODAC Newport to help amplify the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) One Pill Can Kill Fentanyl Awareness Campaign and help spread life-saving information on:
• Types of illicit drugs that law enforcement and health officials say most frequently contain synthetic opioids;
• Prevalence and trends of these substances in the illicit drug market;
• Federal action being taken to stop the influx of fentanyl from China and Mexico; and
• How to spot signs of use and addiction before it is too late.
According to a Media Advisory from Senator Reed’s office, illicit opioid use is the number one cause of death of young adults in America. DEA lab testing reveals that six of every ten fake prescription drugs contain more than a lethal dose of fentanyl than ever before.
More from Senator Reed’s office;
One fake pill laced with fentanyl can kill. Across Rhode Island, and the nation, too many young adults are being poisoned by illicit fentanyl-laced counterfeit drugs, ranging from tablets that look like prescription drugs: oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and alprazolam (Xanax); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall).
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose. Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder.
Last year, the DEA seized more than 50.6 million fake prescription pills containing fentanyl, more than double the amount of fentanyl-containing pills seized in 2021. And data from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that two-thirds of deaths from drug poisoning in 2021 involved synthetic opioid-like fentanyl.
Reed says parents need to understand how easy it is for young adults with a smartphone to get their hands on fentanyl-laced pills, and encourages parents to have open and honest communication with their children about what fentanyl is, why it is so dangerous, and how it is turning up in more and more illicit drugs.
Reed is also leading efforts at the federal level to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and get tougher on China over its role in producing fentanyl by including the FEND off Fentanyl Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Update
Following the event, Senator Reed’s Office provided the following update;
Reed Hails Price Cuts & Savings Ahead for Consumers and Taxpayers as Biden Unveils First 10 Rx Drugs for Medicare Negotiations
Thanks to Inflation Reduction Act, Americans will soon see lower prices on some of the most expensive and widely used prescription drugs
Today, in an historic move to help lower the price of prescription drugs, the Biden Administration unveiled plans for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to use the purchasing power of Medicare to negotiate lower prices for consumers for 10 critical drugs, which CMS was empowered to do under the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169).
After the list was announced, U.S. Senator Jack Reed hailed the move as a critical step to cut costs for working families and seniors on fixed incomes. Reed issued the following statement:
“This is a huge win for consumers and taxpayers. For years, many said they would do something about the cost of prescription drugs, but only the Biden Administration and Democrats did it. Today’s announcement sets in motion concrete changes to help save lives and save people a lot of money by finally allowing Medicare to negotiate better prices.
“The Inflation Reduction Act empowered the federal government to do what other leading nations and every Fortune 500 company around the world already does: use purchasing power to achieve savings. This is a commonsense, long overdue step.
“I will continue working to lower prescription drug prices and improve health care coverage, access, and affordability. Lowering these unnecessarily high drug prices means more Americans can afford to manage their health and it will improve the health of our communities while also saving taxpayers real money.”
The ten prescription drugs selected to undergo negotiations – which accounted for $50.5 billion, or 20 percent, of Medicare Part D spending from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023 according to CMS – include:
Eliquis, a blood thinner
Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug
Entresto, a heart failure drug
Farxiga, a drug for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease
Fiasp and NovoLog, for diabetes
Imbruvica, a drug for blood cancers
Januvia, a diabetes drug
Jardiance, a diabetes drug
Stelara, a drug for psoriasis and Crohn’s disease
Xarelto, a blood thinner
