There is a big problem with the government's plan to stop the drug-overdose epidemic
The new commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Robert Califf, told a panel of FDA advisers last week that he will do "everything possible under our authority" to help the federal government curb an epidemic of drug overdoses.
A report released by the US Centers for Disesase Control and Prevention (CDC) in January revealed that drug-overdose deaths reached a new high in 2014, totaling 47,055 people. Opioids, a type of powerful painkiller that requires a prescription, were involved in 60% of those deaths.
In his address, Califf cited a number of strategies to reduce overdoses, including stronger warning labels, safer disposal to reduce diversion of drugs, and encouraging the development of opioids specifically designed to discourage abuse, such as pills that can't be crushed and snorted.
These drugs, often called "abuse-deterrents" are not new. The FDA has approved five of them since 2010, and another 30 are in...
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