FDA warns King Pharmaceuticals on Avinza promo

[flashl]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials have warned King Pharmaceuticals Inc that promotional material for its pain drug Avinza fails to warn consumers about the potential for abuse.

According to a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company failed to include any information about possible abuse of the drug -- a controlled substance -- and made unproven claims about how well it worked.

"The combination of such broad and unsubstantiated efficacy claims about the benefits of Avinza and the omission of the serious, potentially fatal risks associated with its use, as well as its potential for abuse, is especially egregious and alarming in its potential impact on the public health," it said.

The agency posted the March 24 letter on its Web site on Tuesday as part of its weekly update on companies, doctors and others who have drawn warnings from the agency.

Yahoo

Have anyone seen warnings or removal of oxycotin from easy access to prevent abuse?

[Donnachaidh]

1. So when do they start advertising Methadone as a headache reliever?

And yes, I'm being :sarcasm:

From the article -- "Avinza, known generically as morphine sulfate, is approved to treat chronic moderate-to-severe pain in patients who need continuous relief for a longer period of time."

If there should be an upper limit on what is allowed to be advertised, a drug like this should be in the "Not in a million years can you advertise this" category.

:rant: