FDA moves to foster development of non-addictive opioids alternative

The US Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it has taken new steps aimed at fostering the development of non-addictive alternatives to opioids to manage acute pain and decreasing exposure to opioids and preventing new addiction.

The agency  issued draft guidance to provide recommendations to companies developing non-opioid analgesics for acute pain lasting up to 30 days, typically in response to some form of tissue injury, such as trauma or surgery. This guidance supports the  HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy, which focuses on four priority areas - primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment and recovery support.

Over 100,000 American lives were lost last year to opioid overdoses — a public health emergency that costs the nation over $1 trillion annually, according to a new bipartisan congressional report released Tuesday. This noted that the0e drug overdose epidemic in the USA is now primarily driven by synthetic opioids like ultra-deadly fentanyl.