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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 7, 2022 02:39 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Christopher B. Quinn |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Good Samaritan Legislation |
| I plan to introduce legislation updating Act 139 of 2014, which provides Good Samaritan immunity and widespread availability of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, commonly known by its brand name of “Narcan,” in order to save lives among those suffering from addiction to dangerous drugs. Innovators anticipate achieving FDA approval of next generation opioid reversal medicines in the near future, but through medicines using different molecules than naloxone. My bill will expand the scope of Act 139 from only naloxone to all opioid reversal medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The ready availability of opioid reversal medicine has saved untold lives in Pennsylvania since Act 139 was enacted. From January 2018 to January 2022, the Department of Health reports more than 67,000 doses of naloxone have been administered by EMS with still tens of thousands more administered by others to overdose victims. Yet during that same timespan, more than 41,000 emergency room visits were reported for opioid overdoses. And the number of overdose deaths in Pennsylvania remains alarmingly high with 5,089 deaths reported in 2020 and another 4,317 deaths in 2021. As the FDA approves more and new medicines to reverse opioid overdoses – so-called “opioid antagonists” – to be prescribed, dispensed, administered and obtained, I believe we should expand Pennsylvania’s existing Good Samaritan protections so that these new life-saving drugs can be accessed just as naloxone is today. Please join me in sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2527