Gottlieb announces FDA panel on opioid dosage, addiction

FDA plans to hold a new advisory committee meeting on the relationship between opioid dosage and addiction, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced in a speech at the National Academy of Medicine Tuesday.

The committee will examine patient need for high doses, as well as existing data correlating total daily dose with the risk of developing addiction to determine the rigor of the data and consider policies that could address gaps in the information, said Gottlieb. He said the committee's findings will help shape usage guidelines and regulatory actions currently under consideration, including a requirement for unit dose packaging for common immediate-release opioids...