U.S. health officials are trying to crack down on the misuse of the approximately 23 million prescriptions dispensed annually for long-acting and extended-release opioids, such as OxyContin, methadone and morphine, HealthDay reports.
The plan, unveiled Tuesday by the FDA, is part of a multi-agency initiative announced by the White House aimed at reducing overall prescription drug misuse.
The plan, known as Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), provides doctors and other prescribers with tools for managing pain but also for reducing the risk of drug dependence at the same time, according to Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
For now, REMS will be limited to long-acting and extended-release opioids because they contain more medicine, thereby posing a much greater risk of misuse, Woodcock said. Products from 16 companies are currently affected by the new plan. These products include morphine, methadone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, transdermal fentanyl and transdermal buprenorphine.
Woodcock also noted that the plan could be expanded to other immediate-release drugs sometime in the future.
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