The U.S. government told doctors Wednesday to consider prescribing medications that reverse overdoses to many more patients who take opioid painkillers in a move that could add more than $1 billion in health care costs. Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir, a doctor appointed by President Donald Trump, announced the guidance, saying it’s important for…
FDA Requires Opioid Makers to Develop Doctor Training
The Food and Drug Administration is requiring manufacturers of the most widely prescribed painkillers to provide extensive training to doctors in an attempt to reduce the number of patients who become addicted, and stem the ongoing opioid crisis. The agency notified 74 manufacturers of so-called immediate-release opioids this week that their drugs will now be…
Groups Seek Ban on High-Dose Opioids Citing Overdose Danger
Safety advocates and state health officials are formally calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban high-dose opioid painkillers to prevent accidental overdose deaths among patients and people who abuse drugs. A petition filed Thursday asks the FDA to ban opioid pills that, when taken as directed, would add up to a daily dose…
FDA to Target Addictive Levels of Nicotine in Cigarettes
Panel Calls on FDA to Review Safety of Opioid Painkillers
An expert panel of scientists says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should review the safety and effectiveness of all opioids, and consider the real-world impacts the powerful painkillers have, not only on patients, but also on families, crime and the demand for heroin. In a sweeping report Thursday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering…
Overcoming Opioids: Easing an Epidemic One Doctor at a Time
Even doctors can be addicted to opioids, in a way: It’s hard to stop prescribing them. Melissa Jones is on a mission to break doctors of their habit, and in the process try to turn the tide of the painkiller epidemic that has engulfed 2 million Americans. It was in doctors’ offices where the epidemic began, and…
