Potential Acetaminophen Ban Does Nothing To Reduce Opiate Abuse « Medical Detox Programs in a stress-free environment

July 7, 2009

Potential Acetaminophen Ban Does Nothing To Reduce Opiate Abuse

Filed under: FDA, pharmaceutical sales, pharmaceuticals — Rod Malcolm @ 9:07 am

If the FDA follows a committee recommendation to ban acetaminophen-opioid combination painkillers, newer alternatives offer no relief from the ongoing carnage caused by opiate painkiller abuse and addiction.

An FDA advisory committee has recommended banning widely used prescription pain drugs containing acetaminophen, such as Abbott’s Vicodin and Endo’s Percocet, as well as reducing dosing levels of acetaminophen in over-the-counter products such as Tylenol and Excedrin, because of acetaminophen’s potential to cause liver damage.

Most industry watchers doubt the FDA will actually ban prescription drugs containing acetaminophen from the market as recommended, opting instead to lower the recommended dosages. And the committee voted to keep OTC acetaminophen remedies on the shelves, with reduced dosages.

According to an ABC News report, about 42,000 people visit emergency departments each year with acetaminophen overdoses, half of which are accidental. There’s no information given about the other half. What did they do, overdose on purpose? One can only wonder.

The report also quotes Dr. William Lee, chair of the liver diseases department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, who says that acetaminophen deaths outnumber deaths attributed to all other prescription drugs combined.

I don’t know where those figures are coming from. Studies I’m looking at now show 450 or so acetaminophen deaths a year, and more than 5,000 involving opiates and opioid analgesics.

Also, the doctor fails to mention that 60% of deaths involving acetaminophen occur when taking prescription opiate medications that contain acetaminophen — Vicodin (hydrocodone), Percocet (oxycodone) and Tylenol 3 (codeine) and others. These figures explain why the FDA committee is targeting prescription opiate-acetaminophen combinations more strongly than OTC drugs containing only acetaminophen.

And we’re still waiting for the FDA to do something about the opiates and opioids themselves. When you compare thousands of opiate deaths and tens of thousands of dependencies, addictions and ruined lives, to the 450 deaths from acetaminophen, it’s clear the FDA needs to step up and take the opioid painkiller situation more seriously.

There’s little doubt that the recommendations will lead to a shift away from acetaminophen-containing prescription painkillers, and toward alternatives. But banning acetaminophen does nothing for what really counts: Opioid abuse, dependence, addiction and countless ruined lives.

And what about the enormous cost to society of drug related crime? When was the last time you heard about a desperate gun-toting addict robbing a pharmacy for acetaminophen? Almost all pharmacy robberies, street killings and overflowing prisons are the domain of opioid abuse, not acetaminophen.

Yes, acetaminophen-free alternatives are waiting in the wings, like Acurox, a new formulation oxycodone painkiller co-developed by King and Acura that will hopefully deter abuse. It’s currently under review by the FDA. But Acurox, and others like it being developed, are just more oxycodone or hydrocodone in new packages.

Hopefully deter abuse? That’s what they said about OxyContin, now the world’s leading heroin substitute, legal heroin in a pill that’s fast become the favorite of heroin addicts.

Medical Detox Programs in a stress-free environment

July 7, 2009

Potential Acetaminophen Ban Does Nothing To Reduce Opiate Abuse

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