New FDA safety measures for opioids

Pharmaceutical companies that market powerful painkiller medications will be required to train U.S. doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the safe use of the drugs, which are blamed for thousands of fatal overdoses each year. The safety plan released by the Food and Drug Administration on July 9 is designed to reduce misuse and abuse of long-acting opioid pain relievers, which include forms of morphine, methadone and oxycodone. The agency's plan mainly involves educating doctors and patients about appropriate use of the drugs. The FDA said drug companies that sell the drugs must provide two to three hours of training to prescribers, either for free or for a small fee. The agency wants companies to train at least 60 percent of the 320,000 U.S. prescribers of the drugs within three years of launching the education programs. For further details, see CNN