Phasing out opioids – can it be done?

It’s a crisis that’s gripped America and has hit epidemic levels. More and more Americans are hooked on prescription painkillers, in fact, in 2017 close to 50,000 people in the United States died due to overdose from pills.

And recently, it’s been suggested that perhaps phasing out and replacing these pills with less addictive and dangerous options is the only way to solve this issue?

“FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who plans to leave his job at the agency next week, wants companies to develop pain drugs that could eventually allow older opioids to be restricted or to come off the market entirely.

“Given the public health crisis we face, and that American families are still being destroyed by the opioids epidemic, I believe that the FDA should treat opioids, as a class, differently from other drugs,” Gottlieb told a Senate appropriations subcommittee on Thursday.” - Denver Post

It's a bold statement from a bureaucrat leaving his post – but is it possible?

·      Will big pharma comply? 

·      Is it a matter of money over morality or are more rigids rules required?

·      Or is the only aspect left legal and government intervention?

There are a lot of questions to be answered and that’s where an expert from Cedarville University help. Dr. Marc Sweeney is the Founding Dean of the School of Pharmacy at Cedarville University and is an expert in the fields of drug abuse, prescription drug abuse and Opioid addiction. Marc is available to speak with media regarding this growing issue. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.