FDA Heightens Painkiller Oversight

From The Wall Street Journal:

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it will require some painkiller manufacturers to produce new educational tools in an effort to quell prescription-drug abuse.

The requirements will affect makers of long-acting and extended-release opioids, which include oxycodone, morphine and methadone.

This plan will help shut down "pill mills" where addicts can receive illegal prescriptions, said Gil Kerlikowske, director of national drug-control policy.

Prescription-drug abuse results in one million emergency-room visits a year, Mr. Koh said. Opioid drugs resulted in more unintentional deaths than cocaine or heroin in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Posted: 4/19/2011 1:15:00 PM

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