Heidi Alexander: “while the Senator from Ohio is here, one more word on opioids. Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes…”

“while the Senator from Ohio is here, one more word on opioids. Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, has testified before the Senate that in the next decade we could have-- we should have a discovery of a nonaddictive pain medicine. I cannot think of anything that over the long run could deal more with opioid addiction than to find a substitute for opioids that wasn't addictive. So we have discussed that with the President, with the new head of the FDA--after today, Dr. Gottlieb, I hope--with Dr. Price, Senator Portman, and with others, and, hopefully, in a bipartisan way, we can lean forward into accelerating the discovery of a nonaddictive pain medicine, and we can make that contribution in this effort. Mr. President, the Senate will vote shortly at 4:30 p.m. on the President's nomination of Scott Gottlieb to serve as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He is the right person to lead the FDA in this vital mission and move the agency forward so America's patients can benefit from the remarkable discoveries--one of which I was just discussing--that our Nation's researchers are working on. Dr. Gottlieb has impressive qualifications from every perspective. He was a practicing physician and hospitalist for many years, received his medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency there.…”