FDA Recommends Restricting Painkiller Prescriptions

In an effort to combat extensive painkiller abuse, the Food and Drug Administration has recommended tightening prescription restrictions on hydrocodone combination drugs like Vicodin, calling for their reclassification as Schedule II narcotics.

Prescriptions for Schedule II narcotics, like OxyContin, are limited to a 3-month supply and must come as written prescriptions. The FDA cited the “epidemic proportions” of the abuse and misuse of opioids in parts of the United States as a major factor in their decision, as well as the issue of “how to balance the need to ensure continued access to those patients who rely on continuous pain relief while addressing the ongoing concerns about abuse and misuse.”

The group plans to submit their formal recommendation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in early December. “We anticipate that the National Institute on Drug Abuse will concur with our recommendation,” they wrote in their statement.

“Going forward, the agency will continue working … to ensure that prescriber and patient education tools are readily available so that these products are properly prescribed and appropriately used by the patients who need them most.”

–Michael Potts

Reference

Statement on Proposed Hydrocodone Reclassification from Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm372089.htm