H.R. 10649: Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2026

This bill would create a new federal program to help set up or keep running disposal sites where people can safely throw away unwanted prescription medications, especially opioid painkillers.

What the bill does

• It directs the Attorney General, working with the DEA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to award grants to certain eligible organizations.
• The grants would be used to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medicines.
• It limits the share of grant money that can go to certain categories of recipients, including:
  • state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies, and
  • manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributors of prescription medications.
• No more than 10% of the total grant awards in a fiscal year could go to those categories.

Fee on opioid sales

• The bill creates a new fee on the sale of active opioids by manufacturers, producers, or importers.
• The fee would be 1 cent for every 100 milligrams sold.
• “Active opioids” are defined as opium, opiates, and derivatives of those substances.
• Drugs used exclusively to treat opioid addiction as part of medication-assisted treatment are excluded.
• If a product contains both an opioid and another ingredient, the fee would apply only to the opioid portion.

Help for certain patients

• The Department of Health and Human Services would have to create a way to make sure certain patients do not directly pay the new fee when buying an active opioid.
• This applies to:
  • patients using opioids for pain related to cancer or cancer treatment,
  • patients in hospice care, and
  • in some cases, their family member, medical proxy, similar representative, or estate if the patient dies or becomes incapacitated.
• The bill says this should be done with as little burden on the patient as possible, and the discount would be applied at the time of purchase or payment.

Funding

• For fiscal year 2027 and later years, the bill authorizes spending up to the amount collected from the opioid fee to carry out the grant program.

Relevant Companies

• PFE — Pfizer may be affected if it manufactures or distributes opioid products subject to the new fee.
• MRK — Merck may be affected if any opioid-related products it sells are subject to the new fee.
• JNJ — Johnson & Johnson could be affected if it has opioid-related manufacturing or distribution exposure.
• TEVA — Teva may be affected through opioid manufacturing or distribution operations.
• ABBV — AbbVie could be affected if any opioid products in its portfolio are subject to the fee.