DEA Meets with Pharmaceutical Industry Leaders
http://krwg.org/post/dea-meets-pharmaceutical-industry-leaders
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg and the Chief of DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, Lou Milione hosted a meeting today in Washington with industry leaders representing the prescription drug supply chain in America. The purpose of their dialogue was to discuss ways to minimize pharmaceutical diversion while maintaining legitimate commerce and patient access.
“The pharmaceutical industry has a vital role on the front lines of preventing drug misuse and abuse across America, as do we, and we plan to work closely with them,” said Acting Administrator Rosenberg. “Today’s forum helps us all to find the right balance between providing patients with important prescription medications and reducing the addictions, overdoses, and crimes that too often result from these substances falling into the wrong hands.”
“DEA is creating opportunities to interact with these companies about their roles and responsibilities under the Controlled Substances Act. A clear understanding of each other’s goals and challenges better equips both of us to fight our country’s prescription drug abuse epidemic,” said Deputy Assistant Administrator Milione.
At this forum, DEA presented attendees with information on federal laws and regulations affecting their industry, and provided a forum to ask questions, share their perspectives and voice concerns about regulatory requirements and current issues.
The abuse of controlled-substance medications is an epidemic in America today. 6.5 million people aged 12 and over abused these drugs in 2014, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013 someone died of an unintentional drug overdose every 13 minutes, and more than half of those overdoses were attributed to these medications.
Filed under: General Problems
Hate to break the big secret, but if there is any OTC medication they need to focus on its Acetaminophen. Why only a few years ago did the FDA have a screaming hissy fit over the total daily max amount people should be taking (4gms for the majority and 3gms in the elderly) It’s in just about every combination OTC pain reliever, cold medication, sleep medication and then top it off with prescription pain medication. I am in NO way advocating pulling Acetaminophen off the market, but the ONLY reason the FDA wanted mixed with opiates was to bring them down in the Drug Schedule system…seemed to make them less attractive to addiction is how I was taught in pharmacy school back in the day. When I worked in the local hospital here, it was a given weekend to see at least 1 or 2 middle schoolers to high schoolers brought into the ER stating they took several Tylenol Extra Strength as a suicide attempt. Our standard protocol was a 3 bag IV drip of the antidote based on their acetaminophen levels….and it was very pricey. And these were the ones we knew about….how many others who were taking pain medication plus OTC Tylenol because their pain was undertreated and potentially going into Tylenol toxicity only because everyone believes Tylenol is safe being OTC, The person ended up as an OD, but listed as an opioid OD??? Has any forensic toxicologist every run an Acetaminophen level?? How many were really Tylenol ODs instead?? But they stand there with their fingers in their ears….LAH LAH LAH LAH LAH………don’t want to hear it. This is where PROP what the CPP community to go..to Tylenol and OTC NSAIDS instead of opioids…so we have Tylenol ODs and GI bleeds from the NSAIDs….but they’ve done their ‘good deed’ for King and country so they say