The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on October 24, 2013 that it intends to recommend that products containing hydrocodone should be reclassified from Schedule III to Schedule II of the federal Controlled Substances Act, to increase controls on the use and misuse of opioid products. Hydrocodone is a narcotic pain reliever that is found … Continue Reading
Last year New York became the first state to enact a law mandating that doctors and pharmacists track patients’ prescription medication history. The tracking system, known as I-STOP – Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing – went into full effect on August 27, 2013, and now requires doctors to consult a database of a patient’s prescription … Continue Reading
The Food and Drug Administration announced on April 16, 2013 that it is taking two steps to address the “epidemic levels” of prescription painkiller addiction in the U.S. First, it announced that it will not approve generic versions of the painkiller OxyContin. In addition, the FDA approved updated labeling for OxyContin extended-release tablets to describe … Continue Reading
