Bill to require overdose drug prescriptions moves at NC House

House Bill 93 would have doctors automatically prescribe Nalaxone whenever they prescribe an opioid that's equivalent to 50 or more milligrams of morphine a day.

They would also have to co-prescribe the drug when they prescribe any Schedule II drugs, a class that includes various painkillers, in concert with benzodiazepine or whenever they prescribe Schedule II drugs to someone with a history of overdose.

The measure was pitched as a life-saver, making sure people who might overdose on opioids have the medication engineered to reverse that overdose on hand. In most cases, though, someone else would have to administer it and call 911 for professional emergency help.

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The bill moved through the House Insurance committee despite opposition from a number of medical and insurance groups and questions lawmakers voiced about costs and need.

Injectable Nalaxone costs about $30, Rep. Wayne Sasser, R-Stanly, the bill sponsor and a pharmacist, told his colleagues. The nasal spray trademarked as Narcan runs about $125, he said.

The bill would mean millions of new prescriptions for the drug. Sasser declined a suggestion to change the measure so it simply required doctors to have conversations with their patients about opioid risks and potential Nalaxone prescriptions, as opposed to automatically requiring co-prescriptions.

“We are trying, and I don’t want to get overly dramatic here … we are just simply trying to give people a medication that will keep them alive if they overdose,” Sasser said. “Now, how you do that is you give them a prescription.”

Sasser also noted that patients aren’t required to get the prescriptions filled.

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At least one Naloxone manufacturer, Emergent Biosolutions, is lobbying for the bill in North Carolina. Company representatives said about 10 states already require co-prescriptions and that a similar measure is under consideration in another dozen states, including South Carolina.

North Carolina’s bill moved forward on a questionable voice vote, with Insurance Committee Chairman Mitchell Setzer, R-Catawba, declaring that the measure passed and adjourning the meeting as at least one other member questioned the outcome.

This is not uncommon in legislative committee meetings, which typically rely on voice votes instead of marking down how each member voted.

The bill moves now to the House Health committee for more discussion.