Senate Passes Schatz-Hatch Legislation to Improve Treatment for Chronic Pain and Find Alternatives to Opioids
Legislation Now Heads to the President’s Desk
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Conference Report which included the Safe Treatments and Opportunities to Prevent (STOP) Pain Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that will strengthen research for treatment of chronic pain and find alternatives to opioids, which can be dangerous when abused.
“I’m glad the House and Senate were able to come together to pass our bipartisan legislation,” said Senator Schatz. “By helping health researchers find alternative treatments for chronic pain, we can stop opioid addiction before it even starts.”
The Schatz-Hatch legislation will direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to intensify and coordinate research regarding the understanding of pain; the discovery and development of therapies for chronic pain; and the development of alternatives to opioids for effective pain treatments.
The bill will also ensure that this research would be conducted with consideration of recommendations made by the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee in concert with the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, and in accordance with the National Pain Strategy, the Federal Pain Research Strategy, and the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2016-2020.
Today, about 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. With few treatment options, medical professionals often prescribe opioids to manage pain relief. Opioids, which include such medications as morphine, codeine, and oxycodone, are classified as narcotics. They have addictive potential and can be dangerous when abused. The national epidemic of opioid dependency and addiction underscores the need for alternative treatments for chronic pain.
