Sale of strong painkiller that could worsen addiction shocks US experts
Launch of drug in US could lead to overdoses, say experts, who question approval procedure
A potent new painkiller hit the US market in the past week, despite warnings from top experts that the drug may deliver a deadly setback in America's battle with opioid addiction.
In a nation where some 15,000 people die annually from prescription painkiller use, the drug's approval has raised alarm among doctors, lawmakers and relatives of those who have died from overdoses.
Two senators have launched an investigation into practices by the US Food and Drug Administration, amid allegations that pharmaceutical companies eager for a chunk of the US$9 billion painkiller market may have paid to influence decisions.
"It's almost unheard of," said Andrew Kolodny, president of the group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing.
"For FDA to approve a drug that is going to make a serious problem worse, it is pretty shocking."
Zohydro was approved in October, even though a panel of FDA-convened experts voted 11-2 against the move. The FDA is not obliged to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but it typically does.