An FDA research director last month called for a heightened focus on the development of abuse-resistant opioids and nonopioid pain therapies, according to a Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News report.
Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Addressing, addressed an audience at healthcare investment bank Leerink Swann's Global Healthcare Conference last month, emphasizing the need for increased coordination of government, business, and academic efforts to improve pain prevention, care, education, and research by 2015.
The National Institutes of Health hopes to strengthen industry and foundation funding of abuse-resistant opioids and non-opioid pain drugs through public-private partnerships, which will be explored by the new Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee established under the PPACA. The committee, made up of researchers, advocates and federal agency members, held its inaugural meeting at the end of March.
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