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FDA To Require Manufacturers To Train Providers Who Prescribe Immediate Release Opioids

FDA To Require Manufacturers To Train Providers Who Prescribe Immediate Release Opioids
by Jennifer Garvin

The Food and Drug Administration announced Sept. 28 that it will begin requiring manufacturers to train health care providers who prescribe immediate release opioids medications as part of the agency’s efforts to address the nation’s opioids crisis.

Immediate release opioids are used to treat acute pain and are often used in dental settings. They account for about 90 percent of all opioid pain medications prescribed, some 160 million prescriptions a year, FDA said. In July, the ADA urged FDA to expand its efforts to include the "nuances of managing acute, short-term pain following a one-time outpatient surgical procedure, particularly in dental settings." Previously FDA focused on extended release opioids used to manage chronic pain.

"FDA believes that all health care professionals involved in the management of patients with pain should be educated about the safe use of opioids so that when they write or dispense a prescription for an opioid analgesic, or monitor patients receiving an opioid analgesic, they can help ensure that the product is properly indicated for the patient and used under appropriate clinical care," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in prepared remarks.

Read full article on American Dental Association.