ILLEGAL USE OF OPIOIDS

Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2007 suggested that 33 million people over the age of 12 used an opioid for a nonmedical purpose at some point.

Most obtained the drug for free from a friend or relative or in the case of Michael Jackson as an alias..

The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is drafting a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) aimed at reducing adverse events caused by opioids.

Physicians who prescribe opioids must register with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), but the drugs might be less likely to be misused if more regulations were imposed on physicians who prescribe opioids. According to the DEA, a clinician who prescribes controlled substances has an obligation to take "reasonable measures" to prevent the drug from being diverted to those who use it for a nonmedical purpose.

Schedule II agents include morphine, oxycodone, pure hydrocodone, and methadone. A handful of hydrocodone and morphine combination products are listed in Schedule III, but the analgesic options in this class are relatively scarce.

State medical licensing boards, health insurance plans, and law enforcement officials must play a big role in enforcing the REMS.

FDA officials acknowledged the interplay of the FDA and the DEA on the issue of opioids. While the FDA normally focuses on the safety of drugs for medical purposes, it can't ignore the fact that millions of people use the drugs to get high.

One suggestion is that the FDA require opioid manufacturers to put serial numbers or microchips in opioid tablets, linked to the prescription that released them to a patient. That way, if law enforcement officials seize pills, the prescriber and patient can be easily traced. Other ways are creating opioid medications that are "less abusable" such as crush-proof pills.

The FDA is already considering serial numbers on some classes of medication for a different reason -- to confirm the integrity of the supply chain.

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

* Tune in tomorrow for Stronger warnings on drugs containing acetaminophen.

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