Condoning hydrocodone

Making Some Painkillers Harder to Get

NYT editorial

Painkillers like Vicodin that contain hydrocodone are the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States — and the most widely abused because they are relatively easy to obtain. The Food and Drug Administration has an opportunity to help tighten restrictions on drugs whose use has spiraled out of control over the past two decades.

The International Narcotics Control Board reported that in 2010 the United States accounted for more than 99 percent of the world’s consumption of hydrocodone and that American doctors prescribed far more daily doses per million people than doctors in any other country. Because hydrocodone-containing products are so widely prescribed in this country, they account for large numbers of deaths, emergency room visits, and thefts from pharmacies and other suppliers.

This is a tragedy, particularly since hydrocodone is not a medical necessity. Many countries in Europe and elsewhere make little or no use of hydrocodone products and do fine in treating their patients for pain.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, which is responsible for controlling narcotics, has been trying for several years to move hydrocodone products from Schedule III, where restrictions on prescribing and using the drugs are moderate, to Schedule II, where restrictions are much tighter. But the F.D.A., which is required by law to offer its opinion on such “up scheduling,” has blocked the shift. It is now reviewing the issue again at the request of the D.E.A.

(More here.)