More than a dozen anti-addiction activist groups have submitted a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell calling for the resignation of Margaret Hamburg, MD, U.S. FDA Commissioner in light of her policies on opioids, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The letter is the first formal call from public health advocates, who have been vocal on the matter since the FDA approved the first extended-release, pure hydrocodone pill on the U.S. market, Zohydro, against the recommendation of FDA medical advisors, according to the report.
Dr. Hamburg has been a supporter of broad painkiller — non cancer pain — use, noting reports that 100 million Americans may suffer from chronic pain, according to the report. She defended Zohydro's approval by saying it fills an important gap in current medication offerings — other drugs, such as Vicodin, mix hydrocodone with drugs with liver-damaging potential, such as acetaminophen.
The controversy comes at a time during which opioids deaths have been on the rise: Deaths from painkillers tripled between 1991 and 2011 to about 17,000 deaths annually, according to CDC figures.
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The letter is the first formal call from public health advocates, who have been vocal on the matter since the FDA approved the first extended-release, pure hydrocodone pill on the U.S. market, Zohydro, against the recommendation of FDA medical advisors, according to the report.
Dr. Hamburg has been a supporter of broad painkiller — non cancer pain — use, noting reports that 100 million Americans may suffer from chronic pain, according to the report. She defended Zohydro's approval by saying it fills an important gap in current medication offerings — other drugs, such as Vicodin, mix hydrocodone with drugs with liver-damaging potential, such as acetaminophen.
The controversy comes at a time during which opioids deaths have been on the rise: Deaths from painkillers tripled between 1991 and 2011 to about 17,000 deaths annually, according to CDC figures.
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