Christie: Drugmakers to work on nonaddictive pain medication

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says pharmaceutical companies have agreed to work on nonaddictive pain medications and additional treatments to deal with opioid addiction.

The Republican governor made the announcement in Trenton on Monday, shortly after he convened a meeting of the White House opioid commission that he chairs. He also held a news conference on the topic alongside White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.

Christie says the agreements with the pharmaceutical companies were a key recommendation that the opioid commission made in an interim report it sent to President Donald Trump in July.

He compared opioid overdose death statistics to the number of people lost on 9/11.

"There were 52,000 deaths in 2015. My previous statement was that means we have a 9/11 loss of death every three weeks. Every three weeks. That means we have seventeen 9/11's each year," Christie said.

Christie stressed that the public and private sectors must join together to quickly address this "public health crisis."

----------

Send a breaking news alert
Report a correction or typo
Learn more about the 6abc apps