10/24/2013 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)
Washington – The Food and Drug Administration is recommending that limits be imposed on drugs containing hydrocodone. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the agency stated Thursday in an online notice that drugs containing the painkiller should be subject to the same restrictions placed on other narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine.
Some lawmakers have applauded the FDA’s recommendation, which comes a decade after the Drug Enforcement Administration’s first request that the agency reclassify hydrocodone.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is quoted by the AP as saying in a statement, “Today was a tremendous step forward in fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic that has ravaged West Virginia and our country… Rescheduling hydrocodone from a Schedule III to a Schedule II drug will help prevent these highly addictive drugs from getting into the wrong hands and devastating families and communities.”
Others; however, have criticized the move. Kevin Schweers, a spokesman for the National Community Pharmacists Association is further quoted as stating, “The FDA’s reported decision will likely pose significant hardships for many patients and delay relief for vulnerable patients with legitimate chronic pain, especially those in nursing home and long-term care.”
This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Washington Legal News
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