FDA's Opioids Action Plan: A Midyear Checkup

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Oct 25, 2016, 09:13 ET

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As FDA works to address the opioid epidemic of abuse, misuse and addiction, it's valuable to see firsthand some of the ways the crisis is affecting our communities.

This summer, I toured areas hard-hit by the opioid crisis in Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky, visiting with survivors of opioid addiction and overdose as well as community activists, government officials, and health care providers, all of whom are working diligently and creatively to address and overcome this crisis.

My visit to the nationally-recognized neonatal intensive care unit at East Tennessee Children's Hospital was deeply moving and set the stage for the rest of my tour and underscored the urgency of fighting this epidemic. More than a third of the babies admitted to the NICU have neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), a condition which can be life-threatening if not recognized and treated

Watching a nurse treat a fretful baby suffering from NOWS underscored the complexity of the opioid problem. Many women taking opioids haven't planned their pregnancy, don't immediately know they are pregnant and may not be aware of the risk that opioids pose to their unborn child. This includes those women who are taking medication as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) which also includes counseling and behavioral therapies. For women on MAT, the risk of NOWS must be balanced against the additional dangers of untreated opioid addiction during pregnancy.

How best to prevent NOWS and treat opioids use disorder was a continued theme of my trip, and among the issues we grappled with during a roundtable at the University of Tennessee's Medical Center, hosted by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who is traveling the country to discuss solutions to opioid abuse as part of his TurnTheTideRx campaign. I'm pleased that expanding access to and the use of evidence-based MAT is a key focus area for the Administration and within HHS-wide opioid initiative, an approach supported by a recent FDA advisory committee.

In Charleston, WV, I met with several patients who are reclaiming their lives with the use of MAT including "Dave." Like so many others, Dave became addicted to opioid pain medication after being treated for an injury. As a result of his addiction, his marriage failed and he lost contact with his children. But with treatment, he has reunited with his family and next spring will graduate from college and hopes to taper off of his treatment.

Throughout my tour, I heard that opioid education – including training during medical school and residency and greater public awareness far and wide - is a key component in fighting the opioid epidemic. At a roundtable in Charleston, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin singled out their state's model mandatory education program for prescribers and they told me the state is leading an effort to implement the CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain as a best practice for their state-run Medicaid program.

At a firehouse in the town of Williamson, WV, I met with those on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic - the firefighters and first responders who carry life-saving naloxone to help reverse an overdose. They told me more education about naloxone was needed and told me that they appreciate our efforts to help make naloxone more available to the general public.

My last stop this summer was to Kentucky where I toured the emergency room at the Pikeville Medical Center and participated in a roundtable with physicians, pharmacists, and state policy and community leaders brought together with the help of the regional organization Operation UNITE. UNITE coordinates treatment for those with substance use disorder as well as support for their families and friends, and educates the public about the dangers of drug use. These measures, combined with a recent state law requiring prescribers to register with a prescription drug monitoring program are working we were told.

Throughout my travels, I listened and learned more about how FDA can help end this crisis. I also had the chance to share what FDA has been doing this year to implement a multipart plan to address the opioid epidemic.

Our milestones so far include:

Developing warning and safety information for immediate release opioids and requiring that prescription opioid analgesics and opioid-containing cough product labels include strengthened warnings about the risk of using benzodiazepines at the same time.
Working to better understand the long-term safety of using extended release/long acting opioids. Sponsors must now conduct a number of studies to generate postmarket data on these products.
Issuing draft guidance for industry to support the development of generic versions of approved opioids with abuse deterrent formulations.
Seeking advice from the National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine on how to balance both the needs of patients with pain and the need to address opioid misuse and abuse.
Supporting increased access to naloxone; for instance, by awarding a contract to conduct consumer behavior studies based on model product labeling for a potential OTC version of the antidote and by launching a competition to create a mobile app that could help find the closest available naloxone treatment in an emergency.
Approving the first implantable treatment for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence.

The community-based successes I observed on my three-state tour reinforced my view that we are making important progress in addressing this crisis. But continued hard work, creative ideas, and collaboration -- across government, with the medical profession, health care providers, industry, and, most importantly, patients and their families is still required.

We at FDA will continue to work with all of these groups, using all the resources at our disposal, to improve the judicious and responsible use of opioids and to help bring an end to this epidemic.

Robert M. Califf, M.D. is Commissioner of the U.S. Food Administration

Contact: FDA Office of Media Affairs, 301-796-4540, [email protected]

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SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration