US FDA Releases Special Report on Unhealthy Use of Opioid Medications

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a special report from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describing the agency’s intention to identify reasons for and solutions to the nation’s opioid epidemic (which the authors say is “directly related to the increasingly widespread misuse of powerful opioid pain medications”), while pledging to safeguard patients’ ability to access these medications for the treatment of pain.

In the report, the FDA lists key plans, which include:

• Consulting the National Academy of Medicine about a framework for opioid approval and monitoring balancing pain control, addiction and public health.
• Increasing and perhaps requiring prescriber education.
• Increasing postmarketing surveillance.
• Developing medication formulations resistant to misuse as well as medications alternatives to opioids and non-pharmacologic approaches to pain.
• Guidelines for appropriate prescribing for pain, and treatment of addiction.
• Addressing the use of opioids in children.

The open-access report can be found here.

Reference: Califf RM, Woodcock J, Ostroff S. A Proactive Response to Prescription Opioid Abuse. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(15):1480–1485.