ALBANY, N.Y.—New York ranked fourth among states whose lawmakers drew the most contributions from the opioid industry but was near the bottom in prescriptions per capita, according to data compiled by The Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity.
Lobbyists for a loosely affiliated group of drugmakers and nonprofits in the Pain Care Forum show they had 206 registered lobbyists in Albany last year, donating $288,500 to state candidates and committees last year, and $3.7 million over the past decade.
Amid the lobbying, lawmakers and the Cuomo administration the past few years have adopted measures to limit painkiller prescriptions and prevent “doctor shopping” to obtain extra pills to illicitly resell or feed addictions.
Data show more than 10 million opioid prescriptions issued statewide last year, down slightly from the previous two years.
Data also show that the state’s drug overdose deaths, a majority attributed to opioids and heroin, rose 37 percent over eight years, reaching 2,300 in 2014.
In June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law to limit opioid drug prescriptions to seven days of painkillers following a patient’s initial visit to a doctor. It contains exceptions for chronic pain and hospice and palliative care.
“Our medical professionals and our pharmacists are truly a part of this issue. They have been writing prescriptions for more painkillers than people need,” Cuomo said. He didn’t mention pharmaceutical companies in those remarks.
The measure was proposed by a state task force to find ways to address the rise in addiction and overdoses. Other provisions in the law require insurers to cover initial inpatient drug treatment without prior approval and extend from 48 to 72 hours the time someone can be held for emergency treatment.
In December, Cuomo, a Democrat, vetoed a bill approved by the Legislature and backed by major drug companies that would have required insurers cover new formulations of opioids that are harder to crush or dissolve, thwarting abusers who want to snort or inject painkillers. Another provision would have prohibited pharmacists from substituting other drugs for prescribed opiates with “abuse-deterrent technologies.”
