74 manufacturers of immediate-release opioids notified that drugs will be subject to requirements
MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — In an effort to halt the ongoing opioid addiction crisis, U.S. regulators are requiring manufacturers to provide extensive training to doctors, according to a report published by the Associated Press.
Scott Gottleib, M.D., commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, noted in a recent blog post that the FDA had informed 74 manufacturers of immediate-release opioids, including hydrocodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone/acetaminophen, that their drugs would be subject to these requirements. However, physicians will not be required to undergo training.
Overall, about 2 million individuals are addicted to prescription opioids in the United States. In 2015, more than 15,000 died of overdoses involving prescription opioids. Manufacturers of long-acting opioids, including oxycodone, have been subject to these requirements since 2012.
Gottleib called the drugs a “potential gateway to addiction” in the blog post.
Copyright © 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
