FDA's Woodcock Discusses Pain Management and Drug Safety in Nov. 26, 2009 Issue of The New England Journal of Medicine
SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An
article by Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research, titled "A Difficult Balance - Pain
Management, Drug Safety, and the FDA," appears in the Nov. 26, 2009
issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO)
In the article, Woodcock discusses FDA efforts to strike a
balance between access to pain medication for those who need it and
managing the risks posed by various analgesics. As examples, she
cites recent FDA actions on acetaminophen, the low-potency opioid
propoxyphene, and high-potency opioids such as Oxycontin.
These actions are part of the FDA's ongoing Safe Use Initiative,
aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from
medication use. Millions of people are harmed every year from
inappropriate medication use. Many injuries occur as a result of
incomplete access to information about a drug, a patient, or the
patient's condition. Other preventable sources of harm include
unintentional misuse of medications, medication abuse, and attempts
at self harm.
For more information: FDA Web Page on Safe Use Initiative http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm187806.htm The New England Journal of Medicine http://content.nejm.org/ Media Inquiries: Karen Riley, 301-796-4674, Karen.Riley@fda.hhs.gov Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
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Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
CONTACT: Karen Riley of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration,
+1-301-796-4674, Karen.Riley@fda.hhs.gov
Web Site: http://www.fda.gov/
Posted: November 2009
