US Attorneys General call for tamper-resistant versions of generic prescription opioids

The US National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) this week sent a letter to US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging the agency to adopt standards requiring manufacturers and marketers of generic prescription opioids to develop tamper-resistant versions of such products.

Signed by 48 state and territorial Attorneys Generals, the letter applauds the FDA for “expeditiously proposing guidelines establishing clear standards for manufacturers who develop and market tamper- and abuse-resistant opioid products while considering incentives for undertaking the research and development necessary to bring such products to market,” notes Karla Palmer, writing on Hyman, Phelps & McNamara’s FDA Law Blog. It also encourages the FDA to assure that generic versions of “such products are designed with similar [tamper-resistant] features.”

Many non-tamper resistant generics available for abuse, say AGs