Infographic: FDA gains authority to prescribe less, but opioid prescriptions decreasing
President Donald Trump signed the SUPPORT Act granting the FDA additional authority to combat the opioid epidemic, but a pain management CRO argues that opioid addiction isn't the only crisis.
After the SUPPORT Act was signed into legislation, Lynn Webster, VP of Scientific Affairs and Neuroscience at PRA Health Sciences, a clinical contract research organization (CRO), stated the new legislation has its shortcomings.
One of the shortcomings, according to Webster, is that despite a continual decline in opioid prescription over the past several years, the legislation grants the FDA the ability to reduce the overall number of opioids in circulation.
"There is a disconnect between the amount of prescribed opioids and the number of drug overdoses," said Webster who believes the root cause of the drug crisis is complex and was not fully addressed by the legislation.
