[ad_1]
A new drug approved by the FDA has caught the attention of those on the front lines of fighting epidemic opioid.
Dsuvia, made by a 13-year-old California-based company, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, is a powerful opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and stronger than fentanyl.
>> On AJC.com: Opioid prescriptions now require a database check
It's "very scary," said Alpharetta, Georgia, resident Dawn Camarda, who formed the Blake Meier New Life Foundation after her 26-year-old died in a West Palm Beach, Florida motel room in 2016.
Before the drug was approved, she said: "If this drug does make it through, I certainly hope there are strict regulations. If this drug hits the street, it will be even more devastating than fentanyl. I wish the drug companies would work on a nonaddictive painkiller rather than a more potent opioid, as we know this new drug will become a big issue with addiction. "
>> On AJC.com: Georgia Mother Wonders If She Missed Early Signs Of Addiction
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee last month voted 10-3 to approve Dsuvia. The FDA gets final approval Friday.
The fast-acting product contains a synthetic painkiller known as sufentanil and is meant to be taken in a supervised medical setting, such as a hospital emergency department. The new product comes in tablet form that dissolves quickly under the tongue.
Dr. Pamela Palmer, co-founder and chief medical officer at AcelRx, defended the drug.
It fills a much-needed gap, she said.
>> On MyAJC.com: Doctors and the opioid crisis: An AJC investigation
"It's not at all for prescription use, and it's certainly not for use at home," Palmer said.
The product is for moderate and severe bread.
"Palmer said," There is currently no way to treat your bread without sticking with a needle. " "If you broke your blood and blood, or you have a blood thinner, that can be very painful with a lot of bruising. If you take a pill, you have to swallow it with water and wait for it to kick in, which could take up to an hour. Right now, that's all that's available. For the first time, we've developed a small tablet that goes under the tongue and dissolves in about six minutes. "
>> On AJC.com: High School Quarterback Overdosed – and lived to tell his story
There are no pain medications that are currently available for patients who do not have cancer.
Attention on Dsuvia comes during a rare bipartisan effort, in which President Donald Trump has recently signed up, which, among other things, can not be used for controlling pain.
So Farley Barge, co-founder of Gwinnett Navigate Recovery. He has watched several friends and struggles with opioid and alcohol addiction.
"Like most of the opioid drugs, the potential for abuse is great," he said.
He's worried that the drug could still fall into the wrong hands, especially if there is demand.
"We know that one reason people give for taking drugs is what typically is a patient," he said. "Their tolerance level for opioids increases. So this drug is just another step in the process. I question which interests we're watching for here. "
>> Read more trending news
In 2016, more than 63,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These conditions may have involved more than one drug, prescription and / or illicit opioids were involved in 66.4 percent of the cases.
"Several people have said they have never been able to follow their doctor's orders, and they have ended up addicted to opioids," Barge said. "We do the same thing and expect a different result. With FDA approval, these types of drugs are just upping the ante. "
Palmer said AcelRx has taken steps to monitor the use of drugs.
"Palmer said," I'm not saying that drugs delivered to hospitals, but that's a tiny sliver of the opioid epidemic problem.
Dr. Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Center, still worries, however.
"Obviously, you always have to blink twice, especially in light of the epidemic, when you hear about it coming into the marketplace," he said. "It's another straw on the camel's back. The problem is the camel's back is already broken. "
Source link
