Since 2000, deaths from powerful, highly addictive opioids have jumped 200%, the CDC said, with those addicted to prescription painkillers, such as hydrocodone, increasingly turning to widely available, often cheaper heroin.
Toni Clarke |
Since 2000, deaths from powerful, highly addictive opioids have jumped 200%, the CDC said, with those addicted to prescription painkillers, such as hydrocodone, increasingly turning to widely available, often cheaper heroin.
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Bowing to pressure from lawmakers, Dr. Robert Califf, President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said on Thursday the agency would reform its process for approving opioid painkillers. Last month, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Ma.) placed a hold on Califf’s nomination, preventing it from being voted on by the…
Disparities, representativeness, algorithmic bias, the disruptive emergence of large language models and continued misinformation spread are key issues poised to transform patient care in American healthcare, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD, said during a recent event.
(Reuters)—President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended his ties to the pharmaceutical industry on Tuesday during a Senate committee hearing that included questions on soaring drug prices. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was among the Democrats who grilled Dr. Robert Califf (64), who joined the FDA in January as a…
More than 10 years ago, I wrote a commentary in The Rheumatologist, called “Perils of Pain Meds,” about the over-prescribing of opioid analgesics for common causes of chronic noncancer pain, which was a major contributor to the opioid epidemic.1 Since that time, although there has been a greater than 20% decrease in opioid prescribing, the…