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Updated: 5:55 PM Dec 4, 2009
FDA: Companies Need More Specific Plans to Stop Drug Abuse
WASHINGTON (AP) Food and Drug Administration officials say drug company plans to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers need more specifics.
Posted: 4:00 AM Dec 5, 2009 |
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1 Comments 
Food and Drug Administration officials say drug company plans to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers need more specifics.
Earlier this year, the FDA ordered 16 companies to design risk management plans for two dozen drugs, including morphine, oxycodone and methadone. The drugs are often abused because of their euphoric effects.
Other problems include physicians prescribing the potent drugs to treat migraine headaches, which is no an approved use, and patients chewing extended release pills that are designed to be swallowed. That can cause an overdose.
Pharmaceutical executives laid out their plans to prevent such misuse at a Friday meeting with the agency. Proposals included using patient medication guides, letters to doctors and additional physician training to curb inappropriate use.
FDA officials say that's not enough and more work is needed before measures are put in place.
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Latest Comments
I think the main thing that would help, would to put some comminucation between all Doctors' offices and Pharmacies. Mostly all Doctors' offices and Pharmacies use computers. If they could setup a way that all Doctor's office and all Phamarcies could pull up medications history on each patient, I believe this would end some of the abuse. I know that some patients will see like five or six different Doctor's and about five or more different Pharmacies and this help them get painkilling prescriptions easily. This is thier way of abuse the system, because of the lapse in communication. I have seen this too many times.
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