Any chance left for safer opioids?

The future is looking bleak for new opioids. Between a pair of advisory committee meetings this month that delivered two blows to abuse-deterrent candidates, and the discontinuation of at least half of the newest market entrants, the odds are getting longer for success, meaning investment in the class could well dry up.

Any hope for new opioids will require a shift in guidelines and expectations among both regulators and payers, not to mention major scientific innovation. ...