WASHINGTON, Nov 30, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration says it is trying to strike a balance between access to pain
medications and the associated risks posed by analgesics.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Drug Evaluation and Research Center,
discusses pain management in the current issue of The New England Journal of
Medicine. As examples, she cites recent FDA actions on acetaminophen, the
low-potency opioid propoxyphene, and high-potency opioids such as Oxycontin.
"These actions are part of the FDA's ongoing Safe Use Initiative, aimed at
reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use," the federal
agency said in a statement. "Millions of people are harmed every year from
inappropriate medication use. Many injuries occur as a result of incomplete
access to information about a drug, a patient or the patient's condition.
"Other preventable sources of harm include unintentional misuse of medications,
medication abuse and attempts at self harm."
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