Public health advocacy expresses concern over US opioid labeling changes

Concern has been shown over the US Food and Drug Administration’s action to tackle opioid use. This week the FDA announced safety labeling changes and post-market study requirements for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics.

However, a statement from Michael Carome, director of the Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, said that the action “represents a small step in the right direction, but it ultimately fails to adequately ensure the safety of chronic pain patients and favors the interests of the pharmaceutical industry over the interests of protecting public health.”

He adds that the FDA took no action to alter the label of short-acting opioid analgesics, and “offered no clear rationale to justify why these drugs should be treated differently than long-acting and extended-release opioids.”