President Donald Trump promised to end the scourge of drug addiction through tougher enforcement, including the death penalty for drug dealers and holding manufacturers accountable, during a speech Monday in New Hampshire, a state he said has double the number of opioid overdose deaths.
Trump said the Department of Justice would be bringing "major litigation" against some drug companies.
"We're going to cut nationwide prescriptions by one-third," the president said.
The president called on Congress to change a 1970s law that prevents Medicaid from paying for treatment at facilities that have more than 16 beds.
In this, Trump was recommending policy rolled out by The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis late last year.
Trump did not address another commission recommendation, but he is expected to support a prescription drug monitoring program that would track controlled substance prescriptions in a state, providing health authorities with information about prescribing and patient behaviors. The data sharing is currently held up by patient privacy regulations.
The president also addressed the high price of prescription drugs, calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, a former Eli Lilly executive, to talk about initiatives that will be rolled out in a news conference in about a month.
Americans pay more for drugs in this country because of drug lobbies and the complexity of distribution, Trump said.
HHS will be issuing a slate of proposals for how to decrease the price of drugs, tackling this with same action and resolve that the administration is bringing to the opioid crisis, Azar told those in Manchester.
Much has already been done, he said. Last year the Food and Drug Administration approved more generic drugs than it has in its history, he said. Senior citizens are now paying less out-of-pocket.
"You'll be seeing drug prices falling substantially in the not too district future," Trump said.
The president supports recommendations by the National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins in partnering with pharmaceutical companies to develop non-addictive painkillers and new treatments for addiction and overdose.
The president also supports "right-to-try," to get experimental drugs to terminally ill patients.
Every day 116 Americans a day die from overdoses, according to the president, who last October declared overdose deaths a public health emergency.
Federal funding for 2018 and 2019 includes an additional $6 billion to combat the opioid crisis.
Trump in his speech concentrated on the illegal supply of opioids coming into the country, saying Democrats are impeding the building of a wall at the Mexican border and are protecting sanctuary cities, both of which he said foster the supply of illicit drugs.
It's time to get tough on drug dealers, Trump said.
"That toughness includes the death penalty," Trump said.
Education will include a large scale rollout of commercials showing the consequences of getting hooked, much as anti-smoking ads have done in the past.
The website, CrisisNextDoor.gov will be a place where Americans can share their stories about opioid addiction.
Another component is to get life saving help to those who need it, Trump said. The president's commission recommended that all law enforcement officers across the country be equipped with life-saving naloxone, or Narcan.
"Together we will end the scourge of drug addiction in America," Trump said
Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Robert Patterson is set to testify on the DEA's role in combating the opioid epidemic starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday before the House Energy & Commerce Oversight Subcommittee.
On Wednesday, Scott Gottlieb, MD, commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, will talk about prevention and public health solutions starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, March 21, before the E&C Health Subcommittee, which is considering 25 bills during a two-day hearing aimed at fighting the crisis.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com