The Consumer Healthcare Products Association is actively working to encourage introduction of companion legislation in the Senate for a bill that would restrict the sale and distribution of bulk forms of dextromethorphan.

CHPA also is seeking cosponsors in the House for HR 5280, which was introduced by Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) May 3. The "Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2006" would limit the sale of unfinished DXM, sold in bulk or powder form, to only those individuals and entities registered with FDA (¹ 'The Tan Sheet' May 8, 2006, In Brief).

Teenagers "have discovered that they can get the raw, unfinished powdered form of dextromethorphan online," CHPA President Linda Suydam said at a press briefing in Washington, D.C. May 16. The legislation is "such an obvious solution to a very important problem," she added.

The bill has generated substantial interest in Congress, with no opposition in sight, CHPA said. Sponsorship in the Senate may come from the Senate Health Committee or states such as Florida and Washington, which have seen some DXM deaths.

"Good Medicine, Bad Behavior"

In addition to supporting the swift passage of the bill, CHPA and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (the Partnership) are launching a national multi-media public service campaign to raise awareness among parents and children about the dangers of abusing DXM and other OTCs, as well as prescription drugs.

The effort comes in response to rising OTC and Rx abuse among teenagers, a phenomenon fueled by the perception that legal drugs are "safer" than street drugs.

A newly released 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, conducted by the Partnership, finds that nearly one in five teenagers (4.5 mil.) report abusing Rx drugs to get high, and one in ten (2.4 mil.) confess to abusing cough medicine for the same purpose. Use of illegal "street" drugs, meanwhile, is on the decline.

The multi-media initiative includes a public awareness campaign, developed in cooperation with the Partnership. One public service announcement, for example, depicts a child searching through a medicine cabinet for medication. A separate spot titled "Pharm Town" shows teens riding through a suburban neighborhood in which neon signs flash "Free Drugs" and "Rx" in the windows of homes.

Other components of the campaign include an educational website, print ads and informational brochures that began shipping to physician's offices May 15.

Neither the bill nor the campaign takes issue with the drug industry. "What we've got here is a case of bad behavior with good medicine," said Steven Pasierb, President and CEO of the Partnership.

Different Problem, Different Tactic

CHPA noted that its efforts to combat DXM abuse differ from its work to prevent the diversion of pseudoephedrine to meth, reflecting the fact that the two issues are not the same.

For example, CHPA was involved in the Meth Watch Program, which worked to enhance communication between law enforcement, retailers, government and the drug prevention community about the manufacture of meth (² Also see "CHPA Launches Meth Watch Program With $1 Mil. In “Seed Money”" - Pink Sheet, 21 June, 2004., p. 9).

However, teens ingest DXM directly without having to manufacture a drug, CHPA noted. In addition, DXM abusers tend to be teens and college students. CHPA will tailor communication to this group, through peer-to-peer messages, as well as to parents, who are encouraged to talk with teens about OTCs and Rx abuse. Parents also will be educated to be vigilant about storing and monitoring medication and disposing of products that are no longer needed.

Retailers Take Proactive Approach

Concerns about abuse of DXM were emphasized in an FDA "talk paper" that the agency released in May 2005 (³ Also see "FDA Dextromethorphan Advisory Marks Growing Concern Over Abuse" - Pink Sheet, 30 May, 2005., p. 3).

Since that time, several retailers - including Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens - have started requiring that consumers purchasing a DXM-containing product be at least 18 years old.

CHPA supports the age restriction. "We think that's key, because these are products that are abused by teens," Suydam said. "We think that that's one solution that is working well where it's being done."

- Regina Lapierre

CHPA Pushes Federal Legislation, PSAs To Curb Dextromethorphan Abuse

More from Archive

More from Pink Sheet