Prescription Drug Abuse Experts Meet to Discuss Options for Stopping Epidemic
Experts are meeting this week to discuss how to stop the epidemic of prescription drug abuse, according to the Orlando Sentinel. They include leaders from government, the pharmaceutical industry, and public health and safety groups.
At the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit
in Orlando, Florida, R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy, said the number of people who abused
prescription drugs dropped from 7 million people in 2010, to 6.1 million
in 2011. Prescription drug use by young adults ages 18 to 25 is also on
the decline, the article notes.
Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration,
said a key step in reducing prescription drug abuse is the development
of abuse-deterrent formulas.
Speakers also talked about the need to strengthen state prescription
drug monitoring programs. These systems should be actively analyzed, and
used in real time, to prevent patients from doctor shopping, they
noted.
Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, said the nation needs a holistic approach to prescription
drug abuse, which includes a combination of education, social changes,
law enforcement, the healthcare industry and government working
together.
No comments:
Post a Comment