Posted by Michael Wonder on 09 Jul 2018
Statement by FDA Commissioner on balancing access to appropriate treatment for patients with chronic and end-of-life pain with need to take steps to stem misuse and abuse of opioids
9 July 2018 - The opioid epidemic continues to take an emotional, physical and financial toll on Americans. The U.S. FDA is committed to taking every possible step to address the many facets of this complex public health crisis.
While we work to ensure appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids, we won’t lose sight of the needs of Americans living with serious chronic pain or coping with pain at the end of life. They too face significant challenges.
So, as we consider new policy steps to address the opioid addiction crisis, the FDA remains focused on striking the right balance between reducing the rate of new addiction by decreasing exposure to opioids and rationalising prescribing, while still enabling appropriate access to those patients who have legitimate medical need for these medicines.
