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January 09, 2020

FDAs Failure to Police Drug Manufacturers Contributed to Opioid Epidemic

Recently discovered documents demonstrate that the FDA failed to ensure a program implemented to slow the  improper prescribing of opioids was effective. In 2011, the FDA requested that opioid manufacturers pay for safety training for physicians and “track the effectiveness of the training and other measures in reducing addiction, overdoses and deaths.” However, documents showed that even when such tracking reports clearly showed deficiencies, the FDA never acted. Experts believe that the FDA’s failure in properly overseeing drug manufacturers contributed enormously to the opioid epidemic.