FDA approves powerful new opioid in 'terrible' decision

[workinclasszero]

“There are very tight restrictions being placed on the distribution and use of this product," the FDA commissioner said.

Nov. 2, 2018 / 3:01 PM CDT

The Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful new opioid Friday, despite strong criticism and accusations that it bypassed its own advisory process to do it.

The new drug, Dsuvia, is a tablet that goes under the tongue. It is designed for use in the battlefield and in other emergency situations to treat intense, acute pain.

Known generically as sufentanil, it’s a new formulation of a drug currently given intravenously. Critics say it will be incredibly easy for health workers to pocket and divert the drug to the illicit drug market and because it is so small and concentrated, it will likely kill people who overdose on it.

“This is a dangerous, reckless move,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe senior adviser of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. He questions whether there’s need for yet another synthetic opioid when the U.S. is in the throes of an opioid overdose crisis.

“It is certain that Dsuvia will worsen the opioid epidemic and kill people needlessly,” Wolfe said. “It will be taken by medical personnel and others for whom it has not been prescribed. And many of those will overdose and die.”

Opioids, including prescription opioids and heroin, killed 42,000 people in 2016, the CDC says. Provisional numbers for 2017 indicate they killed 49,000. Opioid overdose deaths are so bad that they have helped lower U.S. life expectancy.

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/americas-heroin-epidemic/fda-approves-powerful-new-opioid-terrible-decision-n930571

[Achilleaze]

1. "Shut up and take your soma." - KGOP, Inc.

[workinclasszero]

3. Yep

Some Trumpian abomination got paid under the table big time for that decision no doubt.

"People will die but fuck it, show me the $$$ and make sure cannabis is still a class 1 illegal federal drug LOLOLOL!"

[dalton99a]

2. It will be diverted from the military and hospitals

[workinclasszero]

4. No doubt about it

Won't be long till people are dropping like flies with this stuff

[FM123]

5. "A dangerous, reckless move that will kill people needlessly"

And yet they insist on putting it out there - this is about the clearest snapshot of who the trumplicans really are.

[workinclasszero]

6. Yep

Killing people for $$$$, it's what Trump and the GOP are all about!

[milestogo]

7. Why can't the dispensing of drugs be controlled?

Don't narcotics get locked up and counted? Medical personnel who steal drugs and take them should lose their jobs.

This drug was obviously developed to meet a need. Why are we blaming the drug?

[workinclasszero]

8. What need was it that wasn't already covered by the huge amounts of opioids

already out there killing people?


Opioids | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids

[milestogo]

10. "It is designed for use in the battlefield and in other emergency situations to treat

intense, acute pain."

[workinclasszero]

11. Well when non-military people here at home start ODing on this shit

thousands of miles away from the nearest battlefield, we will see how badly needed it really was huh?

[milestogo]

12. The fact that a drug can be abused doesn't mean a drug isn't needed.

Maybe they should only distribute the drug for battlefield use. Should the soldier whose just had both legs blown off suffer needlessly because of the opioid crisis at home?

[workinclasszero]

13. This country is awash in opioid drugs

They are killing people in an epic epidemic of death in this country.

There is ZERO need for more opioid drugs in the USA!

Well except the need for the republicans that run the govt to make some dirty under the table cash from Big Pharma of course.

They could give a shit if thousands of people will die over this latest even stronger drug!

[milestogo]

14. What about the people who serve in our military and end up severely wounded?

[workinclasszero]

15. That's the Big Pharma sales pitch

Where are the studies that prove this drug is really needed? If there are some I'll back down but I bet there are none.

It's 10 times stronger than fentanyl, ffs that is killing tens of thousands of people yearly already!

So lets pile on with a drug 10 times stronger than fentanyl! What could possibly go wrong?

[BadgerKid]

16. Have you any outcry for heart disease

Since it kills perhaps 10 times as many people per year?

[Luciferous]

9. I thought they were supposed to be fixing the opioid crisis, not exacerbating it!

I'm shocked

[CrispyQ]

17. An economy for all instead of an economy for the few

would go a long way to fixing the opioid crisis.