FROM PRESCRIPTION TO ADDICTION: TREATING THE CAUSE OF THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND IMPROVING THE FDA'S RISK EVALUATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES PROGRAM

In Oct 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. The following year, 10.3 million people in America misused opioid prescriptions. By 2018, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimated that over 130 people died and will die each day from opioid-related drug overdoses. It has been well established and reported since 2006 that overprescribing is a major factor in the opioid epidemic, and the FDA has an opportunity to address the issue directly. The CDC and HHS believe that better information and communication could substantially shrink the opioid epidemic, and without acting, the FDA would fail to address a grave risk that is just as dangerous as the side-effects of opioids.