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WASHINGTON –  Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) introduced H.R. 4007 the Halting the Epidemic of Addiction and Loss (HEAL) Act of 2023, legislation that would expand access to new opioid overdose reversal agents.

“For more than a decade in Congress, I’ve worked to address the huge gap in access to addiction treatment and use every tool at our disposal to combat this devastating disease,” said Congressman Tonko. “An essential part of that push is ensuring that individuals struggling with addiction–as well as their loved ones, first responders, and law enforcement–are equipped with overdose reversal drugs. I’m proud to join Congressman Armstrong to introduce this life-saving legislation.”

“The widespread availability of synthetic opioids poses a significant public health risk, not only to civilians, but also to law enforcement, first responders, and our military communities,” said Congressman Armstrong. “This bipartisan legislation will help save lives and help us fight the opioid crisis.”

According to the CDC, in 2020, more than 56,000 deaths involving synthetic opioids occurred in the United States, increasing by over 56% from 2019 to 2020.

The only medication currently available to reverse the effects of an overdose, naloxone, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than 50 years ago. Naloxone was initially designed to reverse the effects of heroin-induced overdoses, meaning that its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties are not at an equivalent strength to fully combat modern synthetic opioids.

The HEAL Act of 2023 would ensure that whenever the Department of Health and Human Services issues a regulation, guidance, or another document for any grant program addressing opioid misuse and use disorders, any reference to an opioid overdose reversal agent (such as a reference to naloxone) is inclusive of any opioid overdose reversal agent that has been approved or otherwise authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration.