White House Lays Out Plans To Combat Rx Drug Misuse
On Tuesday, Obama administration officials unveiled a new initiative to reduce by 15% in the next five years deaths associated with the misuse of prescription medications. The effort calls for legislation that would require practitioners to receive training on the correct use of powerful painkillers to be able to prescribe controlled substances. The initiative also calls on drugmakers to provide educational materials for medical professionals on the use of opioids.
- "Administration Wants Tighter Painkiller Rules" (Meier/Goodnough, New York Times, 4/19).
- "Feds Demand Drugmakers Help Fight Opioid Abuse" (Pecquet, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 4/19).
- "FDA Unveils New Action on Prescription Drug Abuse" (Reuters, 4/19).