One of the few negatives
on an otherwise fairly positive day of trading was the 5 % decline of Reckitt Benckiser, producers of a drug used to help get drug users off of Heroin called
Suboxone, which acts as a replacement for the Class A. Reckitt's patent for
Suboxone is due to expire in the relatively near future, so they have been trying to push doctors and other pharmaceutical vendors towards their film version of the drug, which is still under patent and will be for quite some time.
McDonald, who serves
on the Assembly's Committee
on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, said that in discussions with staff there was an interest in preventing the tax from hitting pharmacies or hospice facilities, while also protecting those in recovery who are rely
on opioid - based drugs like
Suboxone or methadone.