US regulators move to cut production of most-abused opioids

The USA’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday moved to curtail drugmakers’ production of the most commonly abused prescription opioids, saying the cut will inhibit illicit sales of narcotic painkillers.

The agencies have proposed a reduction for controlled substances that may be manufactured in the USA next year. Consistent with President Donald Trump’s “Safe Prescribing Plan” that seeks to “cut nationwide opioid prescription fills by one-third within three years,” the proposal decreases manufacturing quotas for the most six frequently misused opioids for 2019 by an average 10% as compared to the 2018 amount. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) marks the third straight year of proposed reductions, which help reduce the amount of drugs potentially diverted for trafficking and used to facilitate addiction.

On July 11, 2018, the Justice Department announced that DEA was issuing a final rule amending its regulations to improve the agency’s ability consider the likelihood of whether a drug can be diverted for abuse when it sets annual opioid production limits. The final rule also promotes greater involvement from state attorneys general, and today’s proposed reduction will be sent to those offices.